Code Geass: The Memory of Time
by Othir's attempt
Summary: The Zero Requiem is complete...but it's author still has a battle to fight.
1. Chapter 1

The Emperor was dying.

Through the haze clouding his mind, through the red fog swirling in onto his eyes, He looked for the last time at the subjects he was sacrificing himself for, his soldiers, his friends- everyone's face was pale. The World he was dying for was closing its doors for him. He knew that if he just could raise his head one last time, He'll be able to see Cornelia and her rebels coming down from their little hideout. _'Dear sister, honourable to the last...could've simply snipped me and done with it..._'

He knew that if he just could open his eyes one last time, He'll be able to see faithful Orange, desperately trying to hide his tears...Suzaku, his friend, his knight, his brother...He would be able to see them all...He could see them all now...Karen...Euphemia...CC...Shirley...Nunnally...

A shadow moved and He felt Nunnally's touch for the last time of his life. He wanted to speak to her, hold her... but he had won his war, the story was over...What hap...Why was Nunnally crying?...What was th...Love? A monster like him?

He gripped his sister's delicate hands, relishing the last physical contact he would feel in his life. The light gradually faded, people faded, Time crept to an agonizing silence as he whispered his last words "Don't cry...I kept our promise"...What was happening? Why couldn't he speak? "I... destroyed the World... recreated ...for you...I will always love y..."

A blinding white light swept over his eyes; He heard a rushing sound. And the 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Conqueror of the World, the Demon King, Lelouch Vi Britannia knew no more.

* * *

><p>Even as he fell through the roaring heart of the World of C, He knew that only mere moments remained before his will was completely crushed by the Macrocosm that was the Collective Conscious. The thin scream of Dead Humanity faded as he sank into the depths of its infinite grandeur. He descended through layer after layer of what appeared to be clouds...For ages He fell; Each age an eternity long; And each eternity a lifetime of the Earth. His existence became no more than a dream, and now he knew that dream to be his life.<p>

He was back at Aries Villa, clutching his Mother's skirts as she hummed a lullaby for Nunnally as she slept. In the distance, Clovis was shouting, Schniezel had won yet another easy victory at chess. Euphemia and Suzaku were playing near Nunnally's cradle...and as He watched, his father took the crown of flowers Cornelia gave him and put it on the sleeping princess' head. Jeremiah stood guard nearby. He heard Milly singing some lewd song in the distance. Shirley and Rivalz were putting up banners for a party while Nina, as usual, was hard at work on her Computer. He felt a tap on his shoulder and almost fell down as Karen shoved an entire crate of fireworks into his arms. Weinberg ran past the two, followed by a frantic Rolo- the latter screaming about 'Niisan's locket'. Anya walked by but strangely, it was CC who had the camera...And all of them were smiling. The skies were blue, red, orange; and Geass hung over them like another laughing sun. And then it dissolved and Lelouch felt himself fading.

It was a terrible feeling- knowing that one's existence was ending, and being able to do nothing about it. Dying had been much easier. The light washed over him once again and for the first time since Zero requiem was conceived, Lelouch felt regret. As he fell into oblivion for the last time, He wished that he had been able to make it all right...

The Geass Sigil burned into the World of C a second time.

Then the world screamed.

Lelouch was almost torn apart as the world around him exploded in an apocalypse of pure force. He was flung for hundreds, nay thousands of miles; the very fabric of the World of C seemed to be were ripped apart in a flash, torn asunder, a living entity shifting and rolling beneath him. He saw the sky turning red, ominous storm clouds rumbling and clashing with lightning. Suddenly, a bright light flashed in his vision, right from where the scream had originated form. Lelouch shielded himself, trying to shut off his senses to the memory, and knowing that he would have been killed a hundred times over just by the noise if this had been real life. The light washed over him, washed over everything, and then receded.

* * *

><p>Claude Pearson's acquaintances would hardly describe him as a nice person. Lord Soresi had refused to let him join the Purists, calling him an "arrogant, uncultured ruffian who can barely move a Glasgow". His men referred to him as that "goddamned bastard" and frequently wished that the latter introduce himself to a certain Mr. Nick, the sooner the better. His performance review for the year 2016 ATB had the following remarks by Lord Karius Malcolm-"excessively brutal, violent, careless. I cannot understand why General Bartley holds him in such high regard. If I may be so bold, I would like to advise his Highness that he exercise greater and more exacting standards in the selection of his Royal Guard- especially when said guard is responsible for the entire unit." But Baron Arundell wasn't feeling particularly vicious or brutal right now... He was, for want of a better word, unnerved. He was scared of the young student in front of him.<p>

They had found the boy and Prince Clovis' prisoner in a run-down shed. Unfortunately, the girl was accidently shot dead- But hey, old Clovis should've taken better care of the whore, right? The student had been almost catatonic and Pearson had been thinking about how to cover the kid's death up when the brat had started laughing. He had a cold, cynical, almost insane laugh and the Baron, inexplicably, was becoming frightened. The student raised his head and looked at them with a cruel smirk on his face.

"Gone mad, have you?" Pearson said, even though something was telling him to run, run until..."Never mind, this is..."

Then the boy's eyes light up with a savage red glow. The rest was silence.

* * *

><p>Villetta Nu was pissed off. She had had a rough night, helping the useless Knightpolice round up the Refrain cartels in Akhibakhara. Turned out that the well-loved Don Vinci was well loved by the damned coppers as well. The only thing they'd found after a long tiring stakeout was hot air and a bunch of raving Elevens. She had gone to bed at nine in the morning and had barely closed her eyes when Jeremiah had called about some poison gas or something. She couldn't understand why she'd been called. Surely, they didn't need the Purist pilots to handle this. The rank-and-file Knights could've cleared the ghettos...But Lord Gottwald was a superior and a personal friend. Four hours later, Villetta had found herself in the middle of Shinjuku in a Knightmare.<p>

Before the invasion, Shinjuku had been one of the largest prefectures of Tokyo, boasting of a population of more than two hundred thousand. Once home to over two hundred skyscrapers, the Second Pacific war had turned it into a wasteland. The Area was now a vast ghetto, a hotbed of insurgency and unrest. Villetta knew the area well; she'd been with Lord Jeremiah when he'd stamped out the principal terrorist gangs in Shinjuku six months ago. Apparently, the Purists hadn't been as careful then as they should've been.

She noticed a heat signature inside a shed and deployed her factospheres. A single raven-haired boy stood there, a green-haired girl in his arms. The boy glanced up as her Knightmare rolled into the warehouse but he didn't seem to be surprised or scared. He simply looked at her with an air of disinterest.

The Royal Guard lay dead at his feet.

'_Why? The Special troops are...' _she thought and activated the speakers. She called out rudely- "What happened here? What is a Britannian student doing in a place like this?" She fired her 35mm standard into the wall behind the boy, hoping to intimidate him.

He didn't even flinch.

Slowly, almost lazily, the student spoke. His voice had the air of careless command, the voice of somebody accustomed to being obeyed. "My name is Alan Spacer. My father is a Duke. I have an ID card in my back pocket. I was taking a shortcut through Shinjuku when I came across this injured girl. After you check it, I would like to request protection for both of us. I'm sure my father will be grateful for your services."

Villetta couldn't believe it. If the student was telling the truth, she'd just opened fire on a Duke's son. The girl was obviously Britannian and judging by the blood on her clothes, in need of medical help. There will be hell to pay if Jeremiah found out about her high-handedness, her prospects of nobility were screwed, her head was killing her...

"Wait, I'm coming down".

Lelouch watched Villetta come out of her Knightmare. It was with difficulty that he restrained himself from killing the traitor on the spot. He felt the old heat pool in both his eyes- His Geass appeared to have fully evolved the moment it had taken root within him. As he watched, the woman started barking commands at him. Him. Little bitch! Who did she think he was?

Lelouch surrendered himself to the Geass and his eyes lit up with a glow the hue of blood. The feeling was exquisite; it was nostalgic; It was addictive...He glanced at the woman standing in front of him and spoke, "My dear Dame Villetta Nu, still the same trusting little bitch, I see?" He grinned as he looked at her stunned expression. "I've returned! And so I demand your services! Why don't you hand over that little Sutherland you have there? And while you're at it, I need to know something..."

With Villetta's help, He managed to get CC into the cockpit. It was a tight fit, but it wasn't as if he could get his hands on the Gawain right now. He looked one last time at the Knight standing in front of _his _Sutherland and with difficulty, restrained himself from pulverizing her into a blob of flesh. He had more important things to do and Villetta Nu, whatever her sins in another life, was now innocent. At any rate, she didn't seem to remember anything about him or Geass or the Black Knights. For such, albeit enforced, services, her life was the least reward he could bestow upon her.

He drove past the squads and the APCs hurrying towards the centre of the ghetto. From what he could remember, Nishi-Shinjuku was the first place to feel the effects of Clovis' purge. So, at this point of time, Q1 was probably somewhere near the Western section of Shinjuku station. If he hurried, he could reach her location within a few minutes. CC stirred upon his lap. She awoke and looked at him with eyes heavy with tears.

"What did you do to me?"

"Awake, CC? You know, that was...", Lelouch began but CC cut him off.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?" She screamed. Lelouch tried to calm her down but she seemed loath to listen to him. Her contractor caught her hands and started explaining when she burst into tears.

Lelouch was stunned. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined CC crying like this. He awkwardly patted her head, trying to calm her down. CC appeared to relax as he continued stroking her head and soon, she'd accepted the handkerchief he offered her. For a moment he was reminded of the time she'd lost her memories...Dear God, What if that was the case now! She was his sole link to the Geass order and VV!

An exploding Britannian helicopter derailed his train of thought. Karen was right on time. Still holding a sobbing CC to his chest, Lelouch grabbed the radio transmitter he'd taken from the terrorist's truck and looked at the list of frequency codes at the back. He dialled in the one labelled KNG. Idiotic terrorists. All too easy.

* * *

><p>Karen was pushing her Glasgow to its limits. Her machine had already lost an arm and the two chasing her were Purists- allegedly Japan's best pilots. The Britannians were everywhere, massacring her people. She desperately wished that they hadn't taken that gas capsule. So many died, were dying because of it. If only they'd been more careful, If only Tamaki had deactivated the alarms, If only her machine's charge wasn't so low, If only Britannia hadn't existed, If only She'd listened when Naoto...<p>

The two mechs on her trail were catching up. Karen realized that they were merely playing with her. With only thirty minutes of charge remaining in her Glasgow, the Yggdrasil drive was unable to perform at its best. A Sutherland could easily overtake her at the speed she was going.

Her transmitter crackled to life —"Go west._"_

"Huh? Who is this_?"_ The voice was using her unit's contact frequency, but he didn't sound like anyone in their resistance group that she knew. And what was that in the background? Someone crying?

"Does it matter? If you want to win, then trust me".

Karen didn't trust the voice, not in the least. But it wasn't as if she had much of a choice. She accelerated down the path and obeying the man's voice, jumped onto the tracks and then leapt on the train. Behind her, the Sutherland in the lead was blocked by the train but his wingman leapt up. And was promptly shot down. The leader opened his communicator and started to ask something but ejected when he got a slash harken in the face for his troubles.

"You saved me!" Karen exclaimed_."_But how did you get hold of a Sutherland?" She looked over to the building but her secret benefactor appeared to have already made his escape.

"KAREN!"She turned to see the leader of their group, Ougi, run towards her along with some of her surviving comrades."What happened?" He asked as he drew near, "Who was that voice on the transmitter?" Just then the voice came from the radio.

"Ougi! Karen! As a reward for trusting me, I give you the cargo of that train. These are your tools for this battle. Use them. Follow my commands and victory will be yours." Ignoring the rebel's cries of surprise, the voice now contacted Karen over her transmitter.

"Karen, try to get fresh energy fillers if you're running low. You will run interference. Await my commands and hurry."

"W-wait_!"_ said Karen."Who are you? How did you know who we..."

The voice cut her off-"Call me Zero. I'll be assigning you all codenames for battle soon, so why don't you all check out my gifts. I'm sure you know to use them_"_

As the rest of the group opened the cargo doors, Karen contacted Ougi's radio. She could clearly see his face from the cockpit. He looked shaken. "Ougi-san, do you think we can trust this person?"

Ougi seemed perturbed but he replied in the affirmative- "It's not like Britannia needs tricks to win against us and that voice did seem to be helpful. If this train contains some RPGs or ammo, it'll only be-MY GOD!"

The Battle of Shinjuku had begun.

* * *

><p>Lelouch didn't share any of the terrorist's excitement. He wasn't particularly concerned about the battle- Clovis was an idiot and Suzaku, the best knight at the scene, was a predictable simpleton. He wondered why Jeremiah or what-was-his-name, Kewell, hadn't done anything first time round. Anyway, He had greater concerns.<p>

After becoming Emperor, Lelouch had attempted to research Geass in its entirety. But the task was simply too vast and complicated for one man even in the best of times. And with the Zero Requiem and the world at stake, time was one luxury he had not possessed. He had debated with CC about delegating the task to Suzaku but they had decided against it. Geass was a burden humans couldn't bear, shouldn't bear; the two accomplices had no right to punish Suzaku even more than they'd done. Lelouch looked at the girl now sleeping with her head on his chest. Sayoko-san had once remarked that CC looked angelic while sleeping and he had no right to take that shred of happiness from her life...Lelouch really hoped that she knew something, anything. He was sure that if VV remembered, or the Emperor- He would be truly screwed.

He ignored the questions and requests the terrorists had been firing at him through the transmitter all this time. As if he cared one whit about the lives of civilians! He had been given one chance to redeem himself; he wasn't going to destroy it by rushing after every idiot in the ghetto!

Damned Clovis! Why the hell had he been so worked up about keeping CC secret anyway? Killing everyone in the ghetto? It wasn't as if the Emperor didn't know what his children were up to from that weird Akasha platform of his. Come to think of it, why did the old man allow resistance movements to...? Was it so necessary to test his children when he had no plans to appoint an heir?

Clovis had to be stopped; killing his half-brother had been one of the most distasteful things Lelouch had done in his previous life but Clovis' crimes were too great to forgive. Lelouch felt like a hypocrite while thinking so but then hadn't he paid for his sins too?

Taking a deep breath, Lelouch pushed such morbid thoughts out of his head. There was a battle ahead of him and only a bunch of traitorous nitwits to help him. No, he had one ace up his sleeve, didn't he? Or rather, a queen. His Queen.

As if answering his thoughts, Q1's voice came from the radio." Zero! I'm ready!"

* * *

><p>"I-Impossible!" Clovis stammered; he could not believe that half of his frontline armoured cavalry had been wiped out when there wasn't a single reported casualty of the terrorists. He snapped at his aides, "Change the signal immediately! Our transmissions are being monitored!"<p>

"Your Highness, we've done it already, four times in fact." Bartley replied weakly.

"Do it again!" the blonde prince ordered. Bartley did as the Prince commanded but to no avail. Within five minutes, Britannia had lost another five Knightmares. "What a disgrace," Clovis muttered as a feint took out a dozen Knightmares and two tanks.

Clovis was trying to ignore the chaos now prevailing inside the G1 Command when he heard a cheery voice. "Hello!"Earl Lloyd showed up on the screen; the grin on his face would've done the Cheshire cat proud. "What is it? We're in the middle of a strategy meeting!" shouted one of the crazy Earl didn't seem to have heard him as he calmly began, "Well... I was thinking of making the new frame available..."

"Now is not the time for that!" Clovis yelled.' _Damn, there goes the last MBT.'_

"Lazarus troops' signals have disappeared..."

"We've lost Lord Tarkin's squad."

"Your Highness, at this rate the entire third division will be wiped out".

"ENOUGH," Clovis shouted."Tighten the enclosure. Put up Quincy's group! And send Lerus in, too!"

"But, Your Highness, if we do that, the formation..."began one of the NCOs but Clovis shot down his objections. He commanded, "Send in Needa and the others too. Do not worry about breaking formation. My guards will re-establish the perimeter! We'll catch the enemy's troops and crush them from all sides."

As the Knightmare squads rushed to fulfil their orders, Clovis felt strangely carefree. Yes, all was well. He would defeat the terrorists here and take back that- that witch. She was his only hope. After what happened with Luthor and Achilles in Baluchistan...No, He will prove himself worthy. A line of immortal soldiers for Britannia! What else can be more useful? The Emperor will acknowledge him. And-And Schniezel too, Cornelia, Guinevere...It had been a stroke of luck finding those ruins at Kaminejima and the girl; He would have to properly research the island once he got some time to spare. Maybe a couple more purges like Shinjuku would calm Area 11 down and he won't have to bother with such Eleven vermin so frequently.

He watched the IFF control screen. Strange, It was so peaceful inside the air-conditioned cocoon that was the G1 and outside, outside men were dying. And here he was casually moving them around like pieces on a chessboard. Playing a great game of chess with their lives...Clovis was reminded of the games he'd played as a child before the Royal family had literally fallen apart; the many games he'd played with Lelouch under the ash tree at Aries villa with Lelouch. Lelouch was great at chess. Cornelia would praise him at dinner and claim that Lelouch would become the best general in Britannia and...Lelouch died. Nunnally. Empress Marianne.

Funny, wasn't it? So many had accused the Vi Britannias for 'soiling' the Royal family with their common origins and yet, the deaths of the three had destroyed the family completely. Clovis couldn't remember the last time he'd talked with Hector or Achilles. He and Cornelia hadn't even met with many of the younger Princes and Princesses in their lives. Schniezel had mentioned Lelouch the last time he'd visited Area 11. The two brothers had been playing an after-supper game when the White Prince had leaned back in his chair and said with a weary smile, "Do you know, Clovis, I'd always thought that one day, Lelouch will defeat me at Chess. I wish...I wish I'd lost at least once to him."

Clovis had tried his best to find the remains of his siblings after becoming Viceroy. He'd asked for help from both Cornelia and the Emperor but had been curtly refused. His elder sister had even prevented him from taking Euphy to Area 11 along with him, saying that Elevens couldn't be trusted in any form or manner. But Britannians couldn't be trusted too, can they? And if his suspicions were correct, even His Majesty himself wasn't someone worthy of trust or...love. A loving wife and mother was now buried in a grave at Wellington cemetery and her murderer still walked free. A ten year old boy had once pinned his hopes on the Emperor, and now, his and his sister's bones lay somewhere in Japanese soil.

'_Lelouch, what would you have thought of me? The man I am?_'

Why was he thinking of Lelouch now? This wasn't the time to deal with old ghosts!

He looked at the Control screen again. Just in time to see the Knightmares of the Eleventh army's third division get wiped out.

* * *

><p>Earl Lloyd Asplund was happy. Happy as a lark. The day couldn't have been better if the Lancelot had suddenly become sentient and turned out to be a Star Wars fan like himself! They all said that no one could move the Lancelot. Nonsense! Idiots! All of them! He had found the perfect part right in the ghetto itself. It appeared to have a hull breach and was losing working fluid at a terrible rate though. Anyway, It got a 94% sync rate on the simulator- Hurray! Unfortunately, It seemed that some of the support staff were unhappy that the devicer had been made in Area Eleven. As if he, the great Professor Lloyd Asplund, gave a damn about his suppliers! Did the Philistines expect him to trash the Lancelot just because it worked better with Travancore Sakuradite rather than Klondike?<p>

Who was it? Oh, Cecile! Let's go. Let's go. Yeah! Where was that new part? Ah! There it was! Seemed to be still having some residual malfunctions...What was it called? Sakuragi? Kurugi? BAH, who cared? Attach the communicator to its auditory canal, Cecile! I'M SORRY! I won't call it 'it' again!

* * *

><p>"Awesome!" Karen whispered in awe as she looked over the battered hulls of what had, till recently, been 49 Sutherlands of the Britannian Eleventh army. The ghetto was ruined, maybe irreparably so but this...this was awesome; A victory on the scale of Itsukushima. Whoever that voice was, he was brilliant.<p>

"Well spoken, Karen. That earthquake was a bit too much in my opinion, but this is amazing to say the least! We didn't even suffer a single loss!" exclaimed Ougi. Suddenly, a reverent tone came into his voice. "Hey, Karen, Ishida! You don't think this is Toudou himself, do you? Maybe that's how he learned our names and led us so effectively."

"I'm honoured at the comparison, Ougi. But I'm not Toudou" came Zero's voice from the transmitter, startling them all. "I'm simply Zero. From Death to Life to Zero. Have you set the explosives yet?"

"We have. But why should we retreat? There are still civilians in the ghetto. Shouldn't we stay till they're safe?"

Zero replied to Ougi's query, "We can't wait for them. There's not much time. The Lancelot will be here soon."

Karen broke in, "The Lancelot? What's that?"

"The world's first seventh generation Knightmare frame, Q1. And it seems that Britannia has acquired the one ace capable of using it. Facing it now won't be good for my plans."

"That's nonsense! I can..."Karen began indignantly but Zero shot down her request before she even made it. He snapped at her in an irritated tone, "You will not question my orders! Q1, meet me at sector BK201. I may need protection for this part of my plan. The rest of you, retreat to the shelters and take up the positions I've given. If you see a white Knightmare; then escape and wait for further orders. Try to knock out his landspinners if you get the chance. Hurry!" Zero cut off their protests by simply switching off.

"HE CAN'T BE SERIOUS!" yelled Tamaki over the radio, "Ougi, surely you won't send Karen out in the field alone? How can you trust this guy?"

"I'll be alright. Zero seems to be fine," Karen tried to assuage him. Zero had saved her earlier after all.

"Tamaki's right, Karen. I don't think we should ignore his orders but...You can go but be careful," Ougi said hesitantly.

"And what was that?"Tamaki snapped, "You're going along with this death-life nutter? Ougi, Didn't you hear what that guy said? He might be a genius but he's seriously screwed up! This is ridiculous!"

"-Tamaki, he helped us," Ougi tried to pacify him.

Karen switched off her transmitter and moved into the ghetto alone. It wasn't as if Zero would betray them now; not after he'd helped them wipe out about half a billion pounds in Britannian military hardware. At least she hoped so.

* * *

><p>"You're here, Q1. And alone too." The voice said as she drew near. It was well that he spoke when he did. A few more seconds and she would've attacked the Knightmare he seemed to be in. It was an Alpha-Sutherland, one of the customized affairs the Purists used...What's more; she could've sworn that she'd faced the very machine that day. Zero's Knightmare stood on the curb of what once was the Ikebukuro highway. For an absurd moment, the Sutherland's posture reminded Karen of early morning commuters waiting for buses in the days before the War.<p>

"-What does that mean?" Karen forced her mind back to the present and replied to Zero. He had told her to come alone, hadn't he? Though...she wouldn't have minded bringing Tamaki or Sugiyama along. Zero, for some reason, scared her.

"I expected Ougi to send someone after you. After all, I am a stranger"

"Why are y...Your Sutherland."

"Pardon".

"It's one of the Purist ones."

"Yes it is! How perceptive of you! I hadn't noticed at all! Now, follow me."

Karen rolled her eyes. Genius or not, the guy seemed to be sarcastic to the extreme. And that freak y Sutherland. How did he get a Purist Sutherland in the first place? The fact that she didn't know his plans didn't help matters. Hell, she didn't even know where the explosives were planted! It was Yoshida who did that.

As the two made their way down the street, Zero asked her a surprising question, "Karen, what do you think of the Shinjuku resistance?"

Karen was taken aback by the question. Could it be that Zero was disappointed at her performance and was questioning her commitment? She'd done her best! The resistance was everything to her- her brother's legacy, her family, her contribution to Japan. She said passionately, "It's everything to me! My brother started it; I'm honouring him and his dream of a free Japan by fighting! Britannian scum shouldn't be..."

"Aren't you Britannian as well?"

Karen's blood ran cold. Was that the reason for Zero's questions? How did he know of her father in the first place? On thinking about it, Karen decided that it wasn't surprising. If Zero was a member of the JLF, as Ougi-san had suggested or a member of Kyoto's Six houses, her identity wouldn't be a big secret to him. Naoto had some connection with Kyoto, even though they'd never taken much notice of their little group or supplied them.

One of the primary reasons for Kyoto's reluctance to help them was Naoto's status as a Half-Britannian. 'Half-breeds' like her and Naoto were universally despised; treated as pariahs by both Britannians and Japanese. She'd been spared the worst of the prejudice; Naoto had been friends with many in Shinjuku and those in the resistance had always been quick to defend her in case of any problems. However often she would be asked not to come to meetings with representatives of other groups. Naoto was respected for his charisma and oratory but his red-headed, blue-eyed little sister was a little too Britannian for a proper terrorist.

Was Zero regretting saving her and her friends?

She spoke in a wavering voice. "I'm half but Zero, believe me, I consider myself Japanese! Kouzuki Karen! I will do anything for Japan's cause! I can sacrifice everything!"

"Do you believe in the equality of all men, Karen?" asked Zero in an even voice. If he'd paid any attention to her outburst, there was no sign of it.

"Of course! I'm not like those murdering Britannians! Everybody should have the same rights, the same opportunities! We're all the same, aren't we?" Karen said enthusiastically. If Zero was trying to gauge her loyalties by her responses, she wasn't going to let go of the chance to get into his good books. However, Zero's response shocked her to the core, "I don't, Q1! Such a concept is pure folly!"

"What! How can say something like that! Like those damned Britannians!"

"I can because that's the truth." Zero's voice still betrayed no emotion, no hint of his mood. "You, Karen Stadtfeld, are privileged because of your birth, your beauty, your piloting talent. By birth, talent, growth, you're different from Ougi or Tamaki or Inoue! You're born to be different! Because you're different, you can move forward!"

Karen snapped, "You think so! Why don't you end it with 'ALL HAIL BRITANNIA'? How could a Japanese like you say such things?"

She regretted her words the moment she said them. While Zero had behaved like a douche-bag, he had saved her and she had no right to get angry during a discussion. She waited for Zero to reply but Zero didn't answer her and continued navigating through the streets. Suddenly, he stopped at a crossroad.

Taking advantage of the respite, Karen asked something that had been pricking at the back of her mind the entire time, "Hey, Zero, Can I ask you something? When you first called me, I heard..."

"I'm Britannian."

For a few moments, Karen couldn't understand what just happened. It was as if Zero's statement was a proverbial hot potato which she shied away from. At some level of her conscious, she knew that she should be prepared to defend herself from him; that Zero was an unknown quantity and a Britannian at that. But her body seemed to have shut down completely. The only thing she could do was gasp softly.

"Eyes front, Q1. It has seen us."Zero stated curtly.

The Lancelot had arrived. The white Knightmare came at them really fast. It was a model she had never seen and it was faster than anything she'd seen in her life. It readied its slash harkens as it rushed straight at them and a green light flickered briefly around its forearms.

Just then the ground under its feet collapsed and the surrounding buildings exploded. Karen screamed before she realized that she was safe, standing well outside the explosives' range. She turned to face Zero but he was gone.

"My dear Q1, Confused, aren't you? How was my performance? "Came Zero's voice from the transmitter.

"-where are you? You planned this, didn't you? Why did you need me then?"

"All in a good cause, Q1. I knew the path it would take and asked Yoshida to do the needful. We were there simply as bait. I left because I have a job to do."Suddenly, his voice faltered_. _Thenhe started speaking rapidly, "Don't bother about that! I fear that you have something to do as well. Get the hell out of there!"

"-What do you mean? The IFF scan is blank. This Lancelot thing was a broken reed_."_

Karen felt the very earth shake. She raised her eyes to find the white Knightmare muscle its way out of the debris like some terrible demon from a nightmare. Its right arm was missing and from the looks of it, both its factospheres and visual head inputs were gone. It should have been down; It ought to have been down. It was impossible for it to not be down.

'_I don't believe it. We must have dropped over a thousand tons on it.'_

The damn thing stood up straight and looked straight at her.

'_Monster'._

She was in big trouble.

"Zero, what does this mean? The white mech is still standing!"

The voice seemed to have lost all its poise and confidence...It was almost as if Zero was...scared? "That, my dear Q1, is what is now, your job. The Lancelot may be strong but that entire ruckus must have put a scratch or two on its paint. Escape from there. No, try to knock out a leg at least and eject. Do anything you want but STAY ALIVE."

Karen lost her temper. She shouted at the transmitter."- YOU JERK, What do you..."

There was a massive groaning noise and Karen avoided the slash harken by a hair's breadth. The Lancelot charged at her. It was unbelievably fast; Its landspinners were gone but still... The damned ace seemed to be some kind of God...HOW MANY HARKENS DOES THIS GUY HAVE ANYWAY?

* * *

><p>The wound on his torso had opened up. The pain was unbearable and Kururugi Suzaku could barely hold the controls. He couldn't feel his left side anymore and all he could hear at this point was a dull buzzing... Did Kururugi Genbu feel like this when I...<p>

No, He couldn't die. Not now, when Lelouch was still inside the ghetto. He had to save Lelouch and that girl. He had found his best friend after seven years. He hoped Nunnally was safe. He hoped that Lelouch was safe. He had to save Lelouch. He had to stop the fighting. He didn't deserve his own life, but he refused to die without ensuring that Lelouch was safe.

"...zaku...can...ar me...".What was that? He had heard that voice earlier, didn't he? No, all he could hear, all he could remember hearing, were his father's gasps as he lay in his office, bleeding to death.

He blocked the Glasgow again. It seemed to be trying to knock out his one remaining camera. He fired his harkens and jumped forward, bashing the Glasgow with his shield before slamming his head into the unit's factosphere. Crippled, the Glasgow staggered back and fired it's harkens at him- which Suzaku grabbed in midair and broke. He attacked the Glasgow again with a spin kick, breaking its remaining arm and damaging its cockpit. The auto-eject kicked in at this point, ending the fight.

"-st...down...suza..."

'_Good. Now only a few more Sutherlands to face. Then Lelouch will be safe,'_ thought Suzaku as he accelerated down the street. There had been a report about the rouge Knightmares forming a perimeter around point BK837. Shinjuku station.

Lelouch had been in a subway when he'd last seen him. If he'd escaped from those Britannian squads, he might flee towards the centre of the ghetto and the terrorists would capture him. If they realized that he was a Prince! Darkness crept in from the edge of his vision and Suzaku realized that he was losing blood rapidly. But he couldn't give up! Not now! Not when Lelouch was still in danger!

"Suzaku..." That voice again? Where had he heard it? No, It was his imagination!

'_Was he hearing voices?'_

A shrill whistle blasted into the cockpit. Suzaku had barely got his bearings back when the voice, he now recognized as Cecile-san's, came through the speakers.

"Suzaku, they've declared a ceasefire. You don't have to fight anymore. Come back quick. Your life signs are going into critical" Cecile seemed to be frantic with worry.

'_Critical? Is my condition that bad? I feel fine! I can go on.' _But Suzaku wasn't one to protest against his superior's decisions. It wasn't as if he was a proper pilot. Lloyd-san and Cecile-san had done him a favour by allowing him to use the Lancelot at all.

Suzaku replied to Cecile, _"_Yes, ma'am. I'll head back at once."

Suzaku had hoped to use the Lancelot to find Lelouch; the ceasefire meant that he would simply have to search for Lelouch on foot then. He'd just change into his armour and return the suit...Wasn't it white when he wore it? God...

* * *

><p>"Why did you do this, Clovis?"<p>

Clovis stared at the figure who'd asked him this question. The one who apparently had led the terrorists to the greatest Japanese victory over Britannia since Itsukushima; the one who'd made his way into the command centre itself without setting off the alarms; the one who'd somehow made him command a ceasefire without his even remembering the act of doing so.

The Eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch Vi Britannia.

"Lelouch, I'm so glad. I thought..."

"Why did you do all this?"asked Lelouch again.

"I don't understand"

"DESTROYING THIS GHETTO BECAUSE YOU LOST AN EXPERIMENT OF YOURS? ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"How'd...How did you know?"

"JUST ANSWER THE SODDING QUESTION, CLOVIS!"

"I WON'T!" Clovis screamed back, regretting it immediately. Lelouch drew out a handgun and pointed it at his head.

"You're going to answer because depending upon it, I'll decide whether to shoot you or not."

"Lelouch...I'm your..."

"TALK!"

In the dark command centre of the G1 mobile fortress, Clovis spoke. He told Lelouch everything- his fear of being discarded by the Empire, his dreams of living peacefully with his siblings away from all conflict, his desire to prove his worth as a Britannian prince. He told Lelouch how the Emperor was frustrated at his lack of progress in combating Area eleven's terrorists; how he had grown more demanding of his children of late; how Luthor and Achilles had committed suicide after being exiled for losing in some damned corner of the Empire; how the Emperor was sacrificing his children in distant lands; how he was tired of being a prince...

"And so, an immortal army?"

"It's my only hope, Lelouch. You're angry at us because of what happened. I know. I'm sorry; I'm sorry if you got stuck in that mess- But I didn't know. You understand, don't you? Forgive me. Please. We'll go back to the Motherland. All of us. Is Nunnally safe? I liked her so much. We have to meet again. We can...". He was cut off by the sound of a gun being cocked.

Lelouch was standing before him, a sad smile on his face.

"I'm sorry, Clovis. You were always a good man. If not for that man and this Empire's madness, we would...We would have been...friends..."

"Lelouch...You can't...I never harmed any of my family...I know you're angry about Empress Marianne and your exile...I...Don't point that thing at me...We may not be of the same mother, but we're still...still...I'M YOUR BROTHER"

Lelouch still had that sad smile on his face.

"Only those who are prepared to be killed can be allowed to kill, Clovis. I forgive you for your crimes against myself and the terrorists. But I can't forgive you for the deaths of all the Elevens in this ghetto. I'm sorry. I truly am-"

Lelouch lowered his gun and for a brief moment, Clovis felt like he was out of the woods.

"-But the World cannot be changed by pretty words alone."

Lelouch pressed the trigger.

* * *

><p>The Thought Elevator was undeniably the greatest achievement of the Human race. Neither the eternal Pyramids nor the magnificent city of Tenochtitlan could equal it in majesty and complexity. Strangely, the entire creation was a product of the efforts of a mere three individuals. Three individuals, who by dint of sheer will and personal desire, were now on the verge of surpassing God as the World's supreme existence. Three individuals who had succeeded in wresting the very essence of life-the human soul- from the Collective Coconscious and forging it into a sword capable of ending History.<p>

Two of these three uberhumans now stood in silence side-by-side. The casual observer might be surprised to see the structure they stood on; He or she might be even more astonished to know that the platform was created purely by the power of a Human's dream- and served as Humanity's first temple to a God they couldn't even conceive of.

The elder of the two observers began, "It was as I feared. The worst has happened. We should've killed him when he was young."

"He is still young. And we don't know how big a threat he will be."

"He is dangerous. It is in his blood."

"Marianne never..."

"I'm not talking about her!" the elder brother snapped.

Silence descended over the two like dusk; and even the two god-like men felt uneasy at the turn of events. Finally when the silence became too much to bear, the older brother asked, "What happened at the first contact, Charles? I haven't seen you so flustered in years."

"It was strange...I can't exactly describe it."

"Try me."

"It was enormous...Beyond us, beyond the World of CC itself; I felt that I could see everything- the past, the present, the future; I knew what Geass was...I realized what it meant to be the power of the king..."

"You could...you know what's going to happen?"

"No, It was just a feeling. I don't know what I experienced."

"The Servants mustn't know of this. I will have them disposed off."

The younger brother nodded. However, as his big brother turned, he asked a question, "Brother, what does 'Zero' mean?"

"It is a funny thing to ask! May I know the reason?"

"He...He shouted this at the centre of the World."


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi there! This is the second chapter of CG:MOT. Three reviews on the first day itself- Not bad but I will always be grateful for more. Do keep on reviewing! It's good to know that your efforts are appreciated.**

**I started watching CG after having an argument with my dorm-mate over the concept of using Alternate History in fiction. To cut a long story short, we agreed to try out each other's favourite works of fiction and write something about it. He chose CG for me. The first episode, and I was hooked! I completed the series twice between Christmas and New Year's day.**

**CG wasn't entirely logical though...Something I will be trying to deal with later in this story. I know it's passé to wave aside things simply on the basis of what TV Tropes calls 'Rule of Cool' but there are some things you just can't ignore.**

**Lelouch is a pretty horrible protagonist to deal with if you're writing a Peggy sue fic. He's practically a Gary Stu in canon. (You don't really need Physical fitness if you're sitting in a cockpit and giving orders) The great thing about CG is that he's generally fighting against Captain Murphy himself...So, you don't notice it. A LVB armed with the knowledge of the future, will be practically invincible until the timeline diverges. That's something I'll have to take care of.**

**I'm new to ; I started reading fanfics very recently and have finished some very nice stuff by S'Tarkan. He's an inspiration and I recommend him. My writing isn't that good and This is the first serious work of fiction I'm writing after nearly two years so please be kind to me.**

**I will try to update as fast as possible...I do much of the editing in my head while typing so new chapters will be up really quick. The speed will be slowing down once real life starts catching up with me-probably one month or so. I don't have a Beta neither do I proofread my stuff so there will be mistakes; but I'll try to be careful.**

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! Feel free to ask any questions about CG and this fanfic. **

**Lastly, I know it's kinda redundant but...I own nothing except my imagination. Sayonara. Goodbye. Rahili. Khuda Afis...(Was all that correct?)**

**Let's get this party started**

* * *

><p>"Welcome back, Onii-sama..." Nunnally greeted, "You're awfully late tonight!"<p>

"I'm sorry, Nunnally." His voice was strained, "Something important came up and I got delayed". There seemed to be something wrong. Nunnally didn't need her eyes to realize that Lelouch seemed to be worried about something. It was almost as if...crying...no, impossible; And his steps were unusual... "You're carrying something?"...Two sets of breathing..." Someone?"

"NO! I mean, yes...I am..."

Nunnally smiled to herself. Her brother was holding a girl in his arms- She was sure of it. But would he have been so flustered in this case? Maybe she didn't know him as well as she had thought. "Will your friend be staying here tonight?"

"Yes, she will..." There was something wrong.

"Brother."

A pause.

"Yes, Nunnally".

"What happened? You're...crying"

"It's...nothing, Nunnally. I'm...I'm just happy to be home again"

There was a shriek behind her and she heard Sayoko-san drop the casserole she was holding. She heard her brother shush the maid into silence and leave the room. As he passed by her wheelchair, she got a whiff of a metallic stench..._blood_. Sayoko-san's hair brushed against her knees as the maid started wiping up the mess. "Is something the matter with Onii-sama, Sayoko-san?" She reached out to touch Sayoko's cheek.

"No, Nunnally-sama. I was...just surprised at his presence."

Sayoko-san was lying. She also seemed to be scared. Scared enough for her hands to be shaking as she gently removed Nunnallys' from her face.

Nunnally didn't ask her anything else. _Onii-sama, I hope you're being careful..._

* * *

><p>It was difficult. More difficult than anything he could've imagined. Facing Nunnally after all he'd done...She deserved better than what he had done to her once. She was everything he had, wasn't she? Her gentle face, her smile- despite all his victories, his armies, his power; his little sister was his most precious possession. She was his reason for living, she was the living embodiment of a kind and gentle world...He'll give her the better world she dreamed of. Even if he had to reduce it to ashes first.<p>

Sayoko saw him. Unfortunate, but She had always been faithful to him. He couldn't remember a single time she had gone against him-save for the slap she'd given him on hearing his plans for Zero Requiem. Even then, she hadn't betrayed him. How stupid of him to have once bothered about Nunnally's safety! He didn't need Suzaku or the Black Knights to protect her! Sayoko-san was enough. He was enough. And once he had Japan in his hands and VV's head on a pike, Nunnally will be safe. He would be safe.

Lelouch gently laid CC on his bed and started to change out of the infantry armour he had on. He would've preferred to change into his uniform before entering the Settlement; but with all the extra work he'd ended up doing this time, it hadn't been an option. He hoped Bartley was more efficient as a Geass slave than he was as an Imperial general. Of course, the portly general had been responsible for developing the Geass canceller and the Knight Gigafortresses in his past timeline- Maybe, the old warhorse wasn't so useless at all.

Getting into the G1 command centre had been a piece of cake. Getting into the Geass research module in Section 43, Britannian Settlement was even easier- thanks to Bartley. The Geass researchers had been extremely cooperative once their free will was removed. Turned out one of them was a spy for VV. Damned brat...never managed to keep his nose out of others' business. While inspecting the work done by the researchers till that point, Lelouch had been disappointed to learn that Gigafortresses and Geass Cancellers were still only concepts. Clovis had been concentrating on developing a true immortal soldier with improved neural and physical abilities using CC's miraculous body as a base. It was easy to see where Jeremiah had come into the entire business in his previous life.

It had been a tough call, but Lelouch decided to put the Geass canceller research at a higher priority. Curing Nunnally's geass-induced blindness was his highest priority in any case. The Knight Gigafortresses were impressive but Jeremiah was a superb pilot- He could manage with any decent mech. Besides, without FLOAT technology, any Gigafortress was nothing more than a giant metal Orange.

He had to get his hands on the Gawain.

Lelouch was sure that part of the blame for Area 11's poor economy lay at the door of the many bogus corporations Clovis had created to supply funds for Project Code-R. The Research Accounts were stocked to the brim and Lelouch, in true Imperial dog-eat-dog fashion, decided to take advantage of it. Fortunately, many of the accounts were directly supplied by the Government budget- meaning that Lelouch could easily bankrupt the exchequer if he wasn't careful. On learning this, the Eleventh Prince decided not to be careful at all. The researchers would continue with their work as usual- not for Prince Clovis or the Emperor, but for Lelouch Vi Britannia.

Once upon a time, Lelouch Lamperouge would have shied away from the thought of enslaving someone for life. Taking someone's very conscience away, dictating their lives- that was something the Emperor did; not Zero, and certainly not Nunnally's brother. Geass was a weapon, not a panache. Zero had known of the doublespeak he indulged in whenever he used his Power of Absolute Command, but what choice did he have?

The Ragnarok Connection and the following wars had changed all that. As the masks of Humanity had slowly dissolved before the Emperor's might, Lelouch had finally picked the courage to remove his own. The kinder, gentler Lelouch; the Lelouch of Nunnally's dreams had died shortly afterward...No; He had died long before that, hadn't he? When Shirley bled her life out on that cold marble floor? When Freya's wrath reduce half of Tokyo to atoms? When he woke up one day to find Mother gone and Nunnally broken...Lelouch Lamperouge had never existed. He was simply a carcass whose face Lelouch Vi Britannia had torn off and worn over his own to trick the world. No, to trick himself...

"Do you know how disconcerting it is to have 26 months of memories of yourself through someone else's eyes?"

"You're awake...You're feeling alright, aren't you?" Lelouch replied to the girl sitting up on his bed.

"Better than earlier," CC said with a small smile, "I was just a bit confused with what happened when I touched you."

"Couldn't have guessed it with that tantrum of yours. You're taking things frighteningly well now. Had some kind of revelation or vision while sleeping?"

"Oh! Do calm down! In my opinion, I'm taking Zero-the-Unoriginal version 2.0 quite well!" She stretched out on the bed. "When you get to my age, boy; you'll learn to treasure novel experiences!"

"Like the ones you had at Clovis' little tea-party?"

CC didn't answer; she simply glared at him- an ancient, inhuman stare. The old CC wouldn't have minded such a remark from Lelouch but his CC was gone, wasn't she? Besides, He had been terribly insensitive. _'This isn't my CC...'_

"Never speak of that again."

Lelouch nodded and asked her hesitantly, "Then you didn't know of anything before giving me my Geass? Because if VV or my parents come to know of this, I might wake up to find myself in a Geass directorate prison or worse, as a mind slave of my father leading his troops in Persia or something..."

CC started laughing. "You're really something, aren't you? And you even know my real name...No, I think VV doesn't know of this. Unless you kiss him; you aren't planning to, are you?"

"Don't be stupid"

"You always had a weakness for convoluted plots. I won't put it past you doing something like just to prove a point to me."

"Whatever"

The situation wasn't as good as he had originally hoped for, but at least the new CC seemed cooperative. _'I can't trust her, but can I trust even myself?_' Lelouch walked across to his cupboard and hid his gun among the clothes. He was packing the armour when CC's voice came from the bed.

"Lelouch...," She was clearly struggling to put something in words; her voice was quiet, hesitant; It was just like the tone she had used the last time He'd met her, in the hangar of the Avalon. "You don't...You don't hate me, do you?"

"Never."

"Oh!" Her voice came to him like that of a curious child. She faced him and gave him a small smile...

"Then, you don't mind if I take the bed, do you? Boys sleep..."

"On the floor, I know. Goodnight, CC."

* * *

><p>Lelouch couldn't help but smile as he looked over his friends in the Student Council. Here he felt as if he'd come home after a long time. Watching Milly tease Shirley, Rivalz slacking off at work, Nina working earnestly at her project- Everything struck him as a physical blow, which he cherished with all his heart. Soon, they'll be having Suzaku and Karen with them too...and all would be as it should have been. As it was before the World went mad. For a moment, He thought of how things would've been if Britannia, Geass never existed...<p>

Someone snatched the paper from his hands. "Sheesh," started Rivalz, "You're being really lazy today. I must've done over half of your work along with mine."

"That's right, Mr. Vice President. Such sloth is unacceptable! As President, I hereby order you to..."

"Oh, give Lelouch a break, Madam President! Even he deserves a break after his adventures yesterday," said Rivalz with a laugh.

"Say, Lulu, Why didn't you pick up my call yesterday? I was worried about you, you know." _Yes, I know. I never deserved a friend like you._

"I'm sorry, Shirley. I'll make it up, I promise."

As the Council packed up for class, Shirley pulled Lelouch to a side, "Lulu, Is something the matter?"

"No, why do you think so?"

Shirley looked confused and a bit worried. She began, "It's nothing! Actually, for a moment there, you looked so old and sad..."

"I see. Thank you, Shirley. I'll tell you about everything...later...Now, Let's just go to class, shall we?"

* * *

><p>Kaname Ougi opened the door to his flat and stepped inside. It had been a long and eventful day; His bed had never looked so inviting. They never found the poison gas at the end- Heaven only knows where Nagata was...Ougi prayed that his friend had escaped in all the chaos.<p>

And Zero. Who the hell was the guy? Not only had he managed to get his hands on 12 brand new Sutherlands but somehow he had known everything about the Shinjuku resistance- names, contact frequencies, piloting styles, everything...He had even known that Yoshida wasn't proficient with Knightmares and had sent him off to rig the subway lines with Semtex. Add that ceasefire declaration to the mix; what the hell was all that?

Ougi knew his limits as a leader. He wasn't particularly clever or skilled. He had none of Naoto's charisma or Karen's strength. All he had was resolve...the resolve to keep his friends safe- no matter what the cost was. If Zero's first act hadn't been to save Karen, he'd never have trusted him. He had surrendered command to the mysterious voice on the radio and what had followed was...magic. The man was a presence. His voice itself compelled one to obey, to believe. Within moments, the resistance had become a professional fighting force, operating with a drive and focus Ougi had last seen when Naoto was still alive and well.

Zero wasn't Toudou...He said that himself; Besides, Ougi didn't think that they were important enough for the miraculous Toudou to help them, were they? For one mad moment, Ougi thought that Naoto...

That's when that Lancelot business had started. The bastard had drawn Karen off and abandoned her. She wasn't hurt but the nerve of the bastard was astounding. He hadn't even tried to ensure she was safe. Thankfully, the White Knightmare had retreated after disabling her machine. Ougi had tried calling up Zero; He had promised Naoto that he'd protect Karen...Karen had been strangely subdued when she'd finally returned to their midst. They'd originally thought that she was simply scared from having to fight against that Lancelot without back-up but now, Ougi suspected that she was bothered about something else.

Tamaki had guessed it too and pestered her about it, before Sugiyama and Inoue had taken him by the elbows and kicked him out of the room. Ougi had gently reminded her that she could ask her friends for help but she'd simply thanked him and replied that it was something she had figure out herself.

Ougi was sure that Karen's reticence had something to do with Zero, but bugging her for details wasn't something he wanted to do. The others in the group understood that well...except Tamaki who never seemed to think about it; Actually, Tamaki never seemed to think at all.

All the members of the Shinjuku resistance had a soft spot for Karen. The youngest in the entire group, she had been something like a mascot for them through most of Naoto's time as their leader. Her loyalty, friendliness and optimism were greater assets to the group than her skill with a Knightmare. In retrospect, the primary reason for the open-mindedness most of the group possessed was because two of their comrades were Half-Britannians. While Ougi didn't particularly like Britannians; condemning people simply for their birth wasn't something he advocated- reason for the Shinjuku resistance avoiding alliances with the Fierce Yamato or the Blood of the Samurai factions in Tokyo.

His phone started ringing. He didn't recognize the number- maybe, it was Nagata...

"Nagata?"

"The terrorist driving the truck died before the battle started. I'm Zero."

Ougi could barely stop his hands from shaking with rage. The bastard had almost got Karen killed and here he was speaking of Nagata's death like nothing happened? "Listen, Zero. I'm grateful for today but what you did with Karen..."

"Karen was always safe. The Lancelot wasn't trying to kill her anyway."

"And you know how Britannia works?"

"I know how the pilot of the Lancelot works" _What the hell?_

"Why did you call me? I've done all you said. The civilians got away through the tunnels. We blew up the APCs near the shelter. The Sutherlands are at our base at the East hub in Shinjuku. You need the coordinates?"

"I know the place." _What the hell_? "I know you have contacts with the Yakuza and the Akatsuki; Try to get hold of a few Knightmare sniper rifles. And ask Karen to put in some time with them."

"What's this about...Why are you after Karen, huh? Tell me why I should trust you?"

"Because my dear P1, An ace like Karen Kouzuki is worth her weight in gold. And you'll trust me because I can defeat Britannia...And you know it, don't you? Where's Karen?"

Ougi couldn't believe his ears. What the hell was the man talking about anyway? His interest in Karen seemed to be unhealthy to say the least. "Karen's safe enough...You can relay your orders through me."

"Ashford Academy, it is. Thank you."

_WHAT?_ "HELLO? HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT? YOU STILL THERE?"

Nothing.

Ougi looked at the clock. Karen was probably already in class. He'd already called her once during the break. Any kind of communication would have to wait till evening. Ougi switched off the phone, went over to bed and fainted.

* * *

><p>Karen cursed Ougi for what she felt was the hundredth time of the day, as she was dragged down the corridor by the cheerful orange-haired girl-What was her name again? Sherlock? Bah! Shirley?<p>

Apparently, Rueben Ashford was an acquaintance of her father and had asked his grand-daughter to look after her at school. '_Damn Britannian nobility. Couldn't even greet me herself. Sent her vassals to do her bidding...Who made her President, anyway? I've never heard of elections at this place'_

Still, Shirley seemed to be a good sort, for a Britannian. The same couldn't be said for the raven-haired boy walking behind them. That arrogant smirk wouldn't have looked out of place on a prince of the Empire. He was probably of noble blood. High cheekbones and purple eyes weren't exactly common traits among commoners. _'Damn bloodsucking idiot_.'

Even worse was the way the boy was talking to her. He had a high-and-mighty sort of voice, the sort of voice she always associated with nobles. His very tone gave the impression that he was doing her a favour by deigning to talk with her. "Glad to have you back at Ashford, Miss Stadfeld. I'm sure all of us will get along well." _'In your dreams, buster!_' " Have you decided to join any of the clubs yet?"

"Lulu, don't tell..." Shirley started but Lelouch didn't seem to notice.

"Ashford aims to produce well-moulded individuals." '_Yeah, right'_. "You can find Ashford graduates in all kinds of fields." '_You'll have a hard time justifying the fees without results, won't you?' _"Take Yesterday's purge for example. I know for a fact that a young Britannian pureblood from Ashford behaved admirably during the conflict."_'WHAT?_'

Shirley turned on him, "Lulu! What have I told you about gambling with nobles? You haven't been mixing in with the senators, have you?"

"Trust me. That's the last thing I'd do..."

* * *

><p>"Things would've been easier if you had a room here. As such, you'll have to manage with these clothes."<p>

"Thanks. Please keep them here."_' Took his time too, damn Britannian punk.'_

Karen sighed. Everything seemed unreal. Here, at Ashford, the resistance seemed to be a dream from another life- Naoto, Ougi, Tamaki...Zero. She gritted her teeth; what the hell had the man been trying to do? Zero had stated that he was a Britannian. He had ridiculed her ideas of equality and freedom, compared her to a bloody Britannian, for Heaven's sake! It was true that she had escaped with barely a scratch from the entire incident. It was also true that without Zero's help, she'd probably been dead. But after that stupid trick of that damned Britannian...It was a miracle that Knightmare pilot didn't seem interested in finishing her off.

She hadn't told Ougi-san or the others about Zero. From what she could see, Zero had given all of them hope- hope that Britannia could be challenged and defeated. Minami-san had informed them in the evening that all seventy-five Knightmares of the Third Division of the Eleventh army had been destroyed in the conflict. It was the second-greatest victory by Japanese forces over Britannia after the Miraculous Toudou's defeat of three Knightmare divisions commanded by Lord Halbrooke and Lord Auchinleck. And the Shinjuku resistance had managed it with a force of only twelve stolen Sutherlands.

Telling them that Zero was a renegade Britannian who they would never see again wasn't something she wanted to do.

Lelouch's voice broke into her thoughts. '_The creep hasn't left yet?'_

"A very funny thing happened with me, you know? I was under the impression that you'd shifted to the dorms here. I asked a girl to get me some of your things; and after a few minutes, she returned with this phone. Said everything else was gone! Then, I meet Milly and realize I've been had. Funny trick but yeah, whatever..."

"A phone you said?"

"Yes, brand-new too. Contains only one message. 'For Q1'. Stupid joke really..."

'_Q1?'_

"Lelouch, What did the girl look like?"

"Green hair; Can't remember anything else. Is she a friend of yours?"

* * *

><p>Mr Witherspoon was the proprietor of an example of what is effectively, a British tradition- the pub. 'The Jolly Griffin' was the first pub to be established in Tokyo; and as such was held in high regard by its clientele of Britannian officers and nobles too poor to afford the newer fleshpots of Shibuya. It was a favourite hang-out of the Purists- a joke ran that the Britannian military ran Area 11 from the Griffin's tables.<p>

Being the fifth brother in a family of nine, Mr Witherspoon had learnt the virtues of thrift and observation at his mother's knee. Both had held him in good stead during his twenty years as manager at the 'Tower of London' on the Strand in Los Angeles and at his own pub. He prided himself in his ability to handle people and defuse situations with a minimum of fuss.

Even then, he found the present scenario rather absurd.

Lord Carlisle was a short, morbidly obese man with a pudgy face. The latter was now red as a cherry and for a moment, Mr Witherspoon had found himself staring, fascinated, at the rich colour of his visage. Five minutes of conversation with the now livid man gave him a limited idea of the problem. He turned towards the corner where a slender boy wearing a waiter's uniform sat on a stool, sipping the most expensive wine his place had to offer. He marched upto the urchin and asked with the most frigid voice he could manage, "What is the meaning of this, young sir? Why aren't you working?"

The boy took his time to answer, carefully sipping his wine and grimacing, as if the two-hundred year old vintage was defective in some way. Finally, he spoke, "I merely asked him whether Lord Jeremiah would be here soon. The man not only ignored me, he also ordered me to get him a drink! Seriously, Do I look like a waiter?"

"Considering your uniform, you are! And I believe you owe me 200 GBP for the glass you just drank," Mr Witherspoon replied. The boy was obviously drunk- his employees ought not to have missed his condition; He wondered why the bouncers hadn't dealt with the problems already...By now, many of his patrons had become interested in the little argument. Lord Carlisle was now almost dancing on the table, providing great entertainment for the guests.

The boy stood up and gracefully extended his right arm towards the side- He still held the Chateau Diehl in his hand. As the entire pub looked on, he loosened his grip and the bottle shattered on the ground. He looked up straight in Mr Witherspoon's astonished eyes, a sneer of disgust playing on his face. "It was little better than a bottle of warm piss! You and your patrons disgust me, Mr Witherspoon! I grow tired of your uselessness! Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you! Obey me!"

* * *

><p>"Let me get this straight! You nearly get Karen killed so that you can assassinate Clovis and you think we'll accept your offer the minute you make it?" Tamaki yelled.<p>

Five Japanese stood at one end of the compartment; At the other end was a man wearing an outfit straight out of a Victorian opera. He looked like something out of a Vampire flick- save for the mask on his head. The green-haired girl holding the stuffed toy by his side made the scene even more incongruous.

"2587."

"WHAT?"

Ougi stiffened. Tamaki wouldn't know- or care. But he knew what that number meant...But didn't that include Britannians as well?

The figure began again,"2178 Japanese, 221 honorary Britannians, 188 Britannians; That's how many died as a result of your stunt with the poison gas yesterday. If anyone has to explain anything, it's you; not me."

"You sacrificed us," Tamaki yelled again, "And now you want us to do what? Save Britannians? Call us Children, will you?"

"I didn't sacrifice anyone. I would've never put Karen in that position if she'd been in danger of dying. I simply did it because I didn't want to waste resources and because she was our best pilot. If anyone could've done it, it was her."

"But that doesn't excuse anything!" exclaimed Ougi, "you used us like pawns. You think no one noticed the codes? And if what Karen tells me is true, you aren't even Japanese! You're Britannian, aren't you?"

An uncomfortable silence hung in the compartment. Tamaki was so shocked that he shut up. Zero didn't seem to be worried at Ougi's outburst; he and his accomplice didn't react at all but all the resistance members had flicked open their knives before Ougi ordered them to stand down.

Ougi, his face reddening, spoke again," How do we know you aren't some sort of spy or madman?"

'_This was bad_.' thought Karen. She had managed to convince Lelouch to give her the phone. The lazy bastard hadn't been sure but seemed glad to wash his hands off the matter. As she expected, she got a call from Zero soon after school ended. She had been going to contact Ougi when the latter had called her up, frantic with worry. They had decided to meet Zero though, what could possibly go wrong with a meeting?

Zero's speech had been excellent. Despite herself, Karen found herself agreeing with most of what he said. She knew that most of the resistance members were feeling the same way. Zero...Zero had a presence. Towards the end of his speech, Karen had even forgotten that he had admitted he was Britannian.

Until Tamaki had started yelling.

It was impossible to make out physical features through the mask, but almost all of them felt the weight of Zero's gaze. Save Ougi, none seemed capable of looking him in the face. Zero said, "For someone who claims to believe in equality and brotherhood of all men, you don't seem to be so open-minded at all! Ougi, you ask for trust. But what have your men done that makes you worthy of mine? I helped you when you were in danger- Would you prefer I would've let you die because you were Japanese? I only ask all of you to believe in me and follow me one more time. More than two thousand Japanese have died because of the Shinjuku incident already. Won't you help me save even one?"

"How can we believe you? A Britannian is a Britannian!"

"This Britannian personally assassinated the Viceroy! Who do you think is going to feel the heat if we're caught?" Zero replied sharply. "Choose wisely, Ougi! You know that I can challenge Britannia! I proved it in Shinjuku!"

Everyone waited for Ougi's decision. The weird girl sitting near Zero kept on playing with that toy of hers.

"Fine! But promise us you won't play with the lives of any of my friends again!"

"As you wish..."

* * *

><p>As Jeremiah Gottwald felt himself back into consciousness, the first thing he became aware of were the manacles around his wrists. A groan passed through his mouth as he tried to stand up. He was in a small room, and a cheap one at that. The walls, a dirty yellow colour, were peeling with age. The floor was covered with chipped and scratched floorboards. In the corner, there was a stack of empty pizza boxes and Jeremiah wrinkled his nose in disgust. He wondered where he was and what had happened to him. For a wild moment, he wondered whether the damnned Eleven terrorists hadn't got hold of him.<p>

No, Impossible. Last thing he remembered, He had been in the middle of the Britannian settlement, sipping his ale in the Jolly Griffin. He'd been among acquaintances, if not friends- though everyone had been oddly quiet and unfocussed today; Even garrulous old proprietor of the Griffin had been silent as the grave. Furthermore, the building he could see from the single window in the room could only be the Officer barracks.

The ale was drugged. What other explanation could there be? It was probably some kind of political power play; Jeremiah had never been a fan of the Area Eleven senate and had told them as much when they'd turned up to protest his sub-viceroyship. Maybe it was Kewell's idea of a coup- though such an 'unsporting' action was below the snob.

The past few days had been strenuous and depressing; and He was no closer to finding the culprit than he'd been on the day of the assassination. Kururugi had been a concession to the Purist leadership; the brat could go to hell for all he cared... Whoever had murdered the Prince had obviously been an assassin of great talent and connections. It was an open secret in the army that there would be a war with the European Union within a few months...

The Prince had been shot through the heart and the killer had been considerate enough not to disfigure the corpse and close the eyes after the deed. No such courtesy had been extended for the commanders; all had been shot where they stood outside the Throne room, straight between the eyes - something that puzzled the margrave; _Why hadn't anyone reacted? Why were they outside anyway?_ Everything pointed to an obvious betrayal. Bartley won't be getting a trial if he, Jeremiah Gottwald, got his hands on him. The fat pig didn't deserve one. It was because of traitors like him that everything had gone to hell.

If he was honest with himself, Prince Clovis' murder hadn't rankled as much as the memories the event had stirred up in Jeremiah's mind. There were strange parallels- In both cases the guards had been dismissed by those in charge; in both cases, the killers had seemingly vanished after the murders. In both cases, terrorists had been blamed- but...

Jeremiah Gottwald had been an arrogant, carefree young Lieutenant in those days- full of purist drivel and supremacist nonsense. After getting into trouble for fighting with common-born Knights for the third time, his father, the Duke of Orlando, had requested Empress Marianne to _'drive some sense into the fool's head, Madame. I'm at my wit's end!' _Jeremiah Gottwald had nothing but contempt for the common-born Empress when he'd entered her service. After two years of service, he looked up to her as a Goddess.

The assassination had come as a bolt from the blue. By the time the initial investigations were over and Jeremiah was allowed to go, Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally had been exiled. The young Knight had first rushed to the Empress' grave and sworn that He would protect her children, with his life if needed. He put in a request to be transferred to His Majesty's embassy in Tokyo.

It was rejected.

He sent a letter to Prince Schniezel, stating his problems. The good prince had introduced him to Vice-Admiral Carpenter of the Guam base.

The Vice-Admiral was transferred to Panama two days before Gottwald was supposed to meet him.

By this time, Jeremiah Gottwald was dangerously near a mental breakdown. It was his father who had rescued him again. The old Margrave had been one of the late Empress' financers- something that had cost him his title of Duke. After getting a lecture about the virtues of patience and prudence, Jeremiah had rejoined the Purists at the age of 20. The fact that Marianne the Flash had taken a personal interest in his piloting skills and his personal bravery ( described as a 'death wish' in some dispatches by his worried superiors) in the Second Pacific war meant that it wasn't long before he ousted the old geezers from command and gained control of the Purists in Area Eleven. Everything was in position for him to start the search for the late Empress' children again.

Except that they were dead. General Montgomery had launched an investigation after taking Nagoya and the children became the first martyrs of the war. That day, Jeremiah Gottwald swore a second oath- that he would find the ones responsible for these tragedies and execute then personally. He was sure that it'd been the nobles...terrorists in Pendragon? His Majesty had exiled the Prince instead of launching an investigation...Whom was he protecting? Princess Cornelia had been responsible for the guard..._'God! My head hurts, what the hell happened to me?'_

The door opened and a lean Britannian teen walked in. Jeremiah looked up, a snarl on his face and then, he froze.

"It's been a long time, Lieutenant Jeremiah Gottwald," began Lelouch Vi Britannia. "Do you remember me?"

* * *

><p>"You really enjoy screwing with Orange's head, don't you?" purred CC as she stretched out on the backseat of the car," Frankly, I don't see much difference between you and the Emperor in this regard."<p>

"If Jeremiah wishes to honour my worthless mother by joining my service, he's welcome to," Lelouch said coldly, his eyes on the road."I don't see how any of my actions were responsible for his loyalty."

CC smiled and extracted a rather battered pizza box from somewhere, a feat that perplexed Lelouch as there was no way he could've missed that 21' monstrosity in the tiny Austin he had "borrowed" from a noble."You want one," said CC, noticing his stare, "too bad I'm not in the mood to share."

"When are you ever..."

"What was that, Lelouch?"

"Nothing."

"As I was saying; your little fiction about the nobility and your siblings being involved in Marianne's 'assassination' won't hold up under a moment's scrutiny. If Orange wasn't such a fanatic, your grand plans would've come to naught," CC continued, while wiping her greasy fingers on the velvet seat covers. "And that little show with Q1 at Shinjuku. Admit it, boya, you're lost without me."

"I had no choice! You know very well that those goddamned traitors couldn't have held off Suzaku for a minute and Sutherlands were worth more than scrap last time I checked. Suzaku wouldn't have killed her- He was a stupid idealist before Euphy died!" Lelouch growled. "I never expected him to escape that attack with nothing more than a damaged arm. The only reason I had taken Karen was that I was afraid of running into tanks."

"Is that why you ran off when you saw that the Lancelot was still working?" CC asked with a smirk on her face.

Lelouch sighed and ignored her.

"You forgot that she didn't have the Guren with her, didn't you?" CC remarked airily and threw the empty box out of the window. When Lelouch didn't reply, she leaned forward and laughed, "You did! You did forget! Frankly, your plan was as asinine as the Zero Requiem. I can't understand how my other self allowed you to go through with it."

"Don't throw stuff on the roads. I'll get into trouble with the police. And the Zero Requiem wasn't stupid," Lelouch countered...but was that true? Coming here, meeting his friends again... Would he be so eager of embrace death again when it came to it? He clamped down on his emotions ruthlessly. "I see you're still fixated on that death wish of yours."

"Don't be stupid. I know you won't fulfil it. I've never met someone as selfish as you." CC continued, "I'll have to think of something else. Until then, I'll manage with only your credit card."

* * *

><p>Nina looked up as Vice-president Lelouch entered the room. He seemed pleased about something and had a wide smile on his face. Nina thought that he had come in to work on the computers like her, but instead Lelouch had made a beeline for her the minute he spotted her.<p>

As he plopped gracelessly on the chair by her side, he spoke, "Nina, I need your help in something."

Though she wasn't one of the popular figures in Ashford, Nina got along well with Lelouch. The latter was one of the most influential figures in school; his cool, aloof manner and intelligence were like a magnet for most girls at Ashford. Admired by students and teachers alike, he always retained an air of supreme control even in the worst of situations.

Lelouch never appeared to pay much attention to his numerous admirers; his reserve was the stuff of legend at Ashford. Only Milly and Nunnaly were able to get past his cold facade. Even so, he was courteous and respectful to all- including her. Though she wasn't as pretty and athletic as Shirley or as outgoing and charismatic as Milly, Lelouch had never made fun of her or ignored her like so many others at Ashford. It was as if he was incapable of rudeness or impoliteness.

Nina couldn't help blushing as she acquiesced.

"I had a few ideas for designing a new type of tactical weapon; unfortunately, my skills aren't upto the task. I thought that since you're much better than me at such practical work, maybe you could take a look at the thing and help me with the designing," said Lelouch with a smile.

Nina had tried to protest when Lelouch had described her as better than him but he had ignored her and continued with his request.

"I call it the 'Diffusion Structure Phase Transition Cannon'. I've got the concept down but somehow the thing seems lacking in some way. I was hoping that you could take a look at it and tell me where I'm going wrong."

Nina took the drive Lelouch offered and after plugging it into her computer, inspected the design. The weapon was truly radical; she remembered seeing a theoretical paper about Phase-Beam Cannons a few months ago on an Indian website, but what Lelouch had designed seemed to be years ahead of present-day research. At any rate, it seemed to be more relevant than her own project.

The circuits and blueprints were strange; It was almost as if Lelouch had only the barest idea of how to design the thing. Most of the design was flawed in certain basic ways, and Nina was sure that the entire weapon would be too expensive to build...Not to mention the fact that at two tonnes, a Britannian student could hardly afford such a project. She told Lelouch, "Mr Vice-President, I don't want to complain...but the weapon would be too costly, and the material for this prism, I don't think that the military would be so accommodating to a mere student."

She was afraid that her words would hurt the boy but he had simply shrugged and said, "I will take care of the actual construction, Nina. Just tell me if you can complete the designs."

"Yes! It will take a couple of months though. This weapon's too complex for a sixth Generation offensive weapon. It's sixth, isn't it?"

Lelouch replied, "Sixth? No, I think it's better than that! Much better!" Getting up from his chair, he took a glance at the simulations she was running and casually said, "I must be going, Nina. Today's a very important day for me, I must hurry. Can you complete the cannon quickly? I will be grateful!"

She nodded. Her work was purely a theoretical exercise; a delay of a few weeks won't harm. Further the Diffused Phase Cannon intrigued her. Lelouch didn't seem to have researched it well but if there were any loose ends, it would be easy to take care of them. Helping the polite, handsome Vice-President would have a priority for her even if he hadn't been one of her closest friends.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure?" Fuyutsuki asked his old friend, "I mean, if you're trying to pull any crap at Kururugi's execution, you better be prepared to face some shit from the Brits."<p>

Ougi sighed and said in a weary tone, "I know, Fuyutsuki but I gave my word to that man. I can't back out now...Especially as the others won't agree to come."

The Yakuza enforcer frowned. "Honour and pride are all fine and dandy but I think you shouldn't get carried away. Even if you guys killed Clovis, overconfidence is bad...You did kill Clovis, didn't you?"

"None of us did. It was probably the guy leading us. He called himself 'Zero'."

Fuyutsuki detected a hint of hesitation and uneasiness when Ougi said the name. He didn't have to be genius to guess that there was something about this 'Zero' that bothered Ougi, something he didn't want to tell others. He laid a reassuring hand on the shoulder of his friend and neighbour and said, "Ougi-san, I feel you should give this a try. I'm not the best poster-boy for a free Japan but if this Zero guy of yours did kill Clovis, maybe he might do our cause some good."

"Yes, Yes, that's true, "Ougi said while getting up from the sofa. "I will help the guy out; I owe him one for Karen and the others after all!"

"You know it's sure lucky that Gottwald delayed the execution by two days. You guys wouldn't have had the time for preparation if that git hadn't started all that shit about security," Fuyutsuki grinned and opened the door for Ougi. "You should take a break, brother! I'm sure being a school teacher was easier on your blood-pressure, not to mention your love-life!"

He laughed at the look on Ougi's face. The man was fun to rile up, even after all these years.

* * *

><p>Lord Carrigan glared at the impetuous brat sitting in front of him. Behind him, his guards were poised to attack the moment any danger presented itself but the Earl was sure that at the rate things were going, he would be the one doing the killing, if there were any.<p>

The student sitting in front of him was well-known in certain circles. He had the reputation of being a genius in chess; A suave, cool operator whose annual earnings from illegal gambling was probably in the five figures. Few knew his real name though; most underage gamblers used fake names to avoid police records.

He never played with the infamous Alan Spacer in all his years as a regular in Area 11's casinos. The student had a reputation that scared him and the stakes the kid played for were never less than five thousand GBP. The only thing the Earl cherished more than his skill in Chess was the three billion pounds personal fortune he had inherited from his grandfather.

He had been dismissive of the kid when he'd marched into his study asking for a chess match. Surprisingly, neither his security nor his employees had tried to stop him or even contact Lord Carrigan regarding the intrusion. The Earl had been incensed even further when his calls for security only brought two bodyguards. He had tried to solve things without violence but the student appeared to be oblivious to the volatile situation; the latter had simply leant back in the chair and yawned when asked to leave.

Lord Carrigan had a good mind to say yes to the two million wager the boy was suggesting, if only to teach him a lesson but then he had remembered Alan Spacer's skill and changed tracks. There was no need to complicate matters when a simple word to his guards would suffice.

He gestured and the two gorilla-faced men moved forward. The boy's smile didn't vanish however. As the two reached him and the one on the left laid a hand on his shoulder, he spoke with a regal voice, "Obey me, you bastards! Become my slaves!"

As Lord Carrigan looked on, shocked, the two guards dropped to their knees in front of boy and intoned, "Yes, Your Highness! Please command us!" The student acknowledged their words with a slight nod of his head and turned towards the noble. "Carrigan, I'm in trouble. I need at least ten million pounds to finance a project of mine. One of my friends is now developing it; With any luck, it'll take her half a year and take her mind of Freya...But the question is, Are you going to finance it?" He said carelessly.

Carrigan could barely enunciate properly because of the rage now consuming him. He didn't understand what the boy was talking about but no one disrespected the President of Lisgen Ship-building and got away with it. He grabbed his handgun from his table drawer and brandished it in Spacer's face. The boy cast a disdainful look at him and said, "I would've preferred that you'd cooperated but no matter...Obey me!"

Two hours later, Earl Frederick Charles Carrigan was working more diligently than he'd ever done in his life. Lord Lelouch needed funds for his campaigns and research; Who was he to question His Highness' plans or requirements? He lived to serve. He existed to help. He was unworthy of His Lord's munificence; His Lord was his only hope for happiness. He pressed a button on his intercom; It was working perfectly now- Everything worked perfectly now. All was well in the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews Please!<strong>

**Notes:**

**Plenty of Star Wars and Evalengion references...Can anyone find them all?**

**CC doesn't have her own memories but she does have most of Lelouch's important ones. If the resistance seemed to accept him too easily...I always thought that they weren't as racist as the other groups from the start. And in any case, Ougi was never the most decisive of people. He would love to have the chance to drop the reins. Lelouch isn't a designer or a researcher. But It's obvious that you know the basics behind the devices you use-especially if you are the only person capable of operating it-like Lelouch with the Shinkiro's Cannon. Any basic idea he gives, Nina or Lloyd or Rakshata could complete easily.**

**Any advice about what to do with Cornelia? Do I capture her or something? **

**Next chapter up in about 12 hours or so...Hopefully!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi there! This is the 3****rd**** chapter of CG:MOT. I'm sorry about the delay; I'd finished writing it within a day of posting the last chapter but had some important things to take care of first...**

**The Fourth chapter is mostly complete, only a few tweaks to be made and all. It's a bit difficult keeping track of things in the Code Geass universe. In my opinion, the entire canon world is more complex and rich than the potterverse. Thanks MisterSP for pointing out that bit (Oops! Apologies!)**

**About Karen And Kallen; I've been reading a bit of CG fanfiction since making an account and frankly, I don't understand how all of this makes any difference. Kallen isn't an actual name in English. It isn't even a word in Japanese, the language lacks an 'l' sound. The subs I was using used 'Karen' for most of R1 and then suddenly changed to 'Kallen'. I hadn't consulted the Code Geass Wiki before starting writing an dso, dismissed the entire thing as carelessness on their behalf.**

**I'm thinking of sticking with Karen though. I've already used it and it makes more sense to have a name that can be written in Katakana.**

**One of the reasons Lelouch is such an fascinating character is because of his rather haphazard development in the anime. He doesn't become a better person or protect the world or go on an adventure- He's an extremely fragile, emotionally sensitive, mentally tortured person who lost something when he was 10/11; and has been desperately trying to regain it since. His mood swings can give one whiplash- even in the first episode.**

**As the story progresses, Lelouch grows as a person in some ways and becomes wrapped and monstrous in others. By the end of the story, he's both the greatest benefactor of the world as well as a bloody tyrant whose crimes cause his father's and Schniezel's to pale into insignificance. (The anime doesn't show it but it's obvious. He's a lot like Captain Ahab-'a grand, ungodly, god-like man'- fun to read about, not very nice to know...He's many things-manipulative, vicious, caring but predictable he's not.**

**I will try to avoid referencing most psychological issues directly in this fanfic-Lelouch is well aware of his flaws in canon and gives a damn for them. (Yup, he's insane alright!) I'm basing him on child soldiers, or rather disillusioned and resettled child soldiers. Increased tenderness to friends and family, erratic behaviour, extreme brutality at times...and as is the tragic fate of most, the eventual backsliding. **

**In canon, Lelouch theorizes that Geass damages the brain only at the time of use...Long term use doesn't seem to affect humans so much; I don't think the teachers at Ashford or Lelouch's Britannian slaves became vegetables when they weren't doing his grunt-work. Geassing nobles is something he did early in his career; only this time he's doing it on a larger scale, both as finance and insurance- he has 'foresight'! He also needs someone to drive his private research factories against Schniezel's.**

**CG does raise some extremely complicated issues...One of the secondary themes in it is the deconstruction of a mecha pilot. Suzaku's story is as poignant as Shinji Ikari's and in some ways, more horrifying. At least, Ikari was broken. This guy broke.**

**Enough of my ranting! The Anime deserves a proper analysis at some point. I hope someone does get round to writing it. Thanks for your appreciation, everybody! I'm grateful!**

**I don't own Code Geass or anything else I've ripped stuff from in this fic.**

**And here we go...**

* * *

><p>"Only two? I must admit I'm disappointed." The masked man emerged from behind a pile of rubble and stood in front of Ougi and Karen. "I expected more this...Anything to say, Ougi?"<p>

Ougi had started to say something at Zero's words but on seeing the latter turn towards him, the rebel had closed his mouth. On Karen's prompting, he began again, "I'm sorry. But the fact is that you're creeping most of us out and well, well it's not like we're comfortable with your being Britannian. It's true that you saved us when we were in trouble and assassinated Prince Clovis but helping a Britannian is...difficult. I had given my word on the train so I considered it a duty, but the others...they're not convinced that you're really on our side."

Zero nodded and started walking towards a broken-down garage, while motioning them to follow. "I expected as much. I have an associate with me, but I'm not sure how much she can be trusted. And my mole in the army can't be compromised at this point of time." He sighed and continued, "You two will do. Tell me Karen, did you and Ougi get that sniper unit for me?"

"Yes, but how are we going to use it? It's not like we can transport a Knightmare frame without the patrols noticing!" said Karen.

Zero opened the garage doors and their eyes widened in shock.

"Your wish is my command, Q1. Tell me, Will this little plane be sufficient for you?" He asked the dumb-struck duo gesturing towards the Britannian army standard issue Etna class, autonomous VTOL parked in the middle of the garage.

* * *

><p>Colonel Kewell Soresi heaved a sigh of relief as the armoured transport neared the tribunal court. Gottwald may have felt that his duties to His Highness Prince Clovis had ended when Kururugi was arrested, but he, Kewell Soresi, won't rest his vigilance for a second. The Margrave had actually insisted on a change of guard midway on the basis that "it would confuse any terrorists in the crowd." What was worse was that he actually seemed to believe his own bullshit. The fool had even been messing with the VTOL flight patterns. When Kewell had confronted him, he had mumbled some nonsense about "regaining my honour" and "when I was in Hokkaido with Squad 733...I swore to the Empress..." Kewell wondered whether the stress of handling Area 11 was proving to be too much for the man.<p>

Contrary to popular belief within the Britannian Eleventh army, Kewell didn't hate Jeremiah. He simply believed that Jeremiah was an arrogant, simple-minded, paranoid buffoon who had no talent for leadership at all. The man hated Elevens alright, but also seemed to hate the nobles and the Knights as well- Jeremiah Gottwald appeared to have a bone to pick with everyone not named Jeremiah Gottwald. When Villetta had suggested that the security be tightened, the Margrave had given them a lecture about "sending a message to the terrorists" and _reduced the security detail! _Things had only gotten worse afterwards.

Fifteen minutes before Kururugi was to be taken abroad the transport, Jeremiah had approached him with a face like iron. "Kewell, VTOL squad 3A is missing. Where the hell is it?" Any protests that he had had nothing to do with the assignments and that Jeremiah himself had been responsible for them had fallen on deaf ears. The blue-haired bane of Kewell's existence had insisted that He had passed on the responsibility to Colonel Soresi after the "self-righteous young punk had questioned my tactical abilities." Later investigations would prove that a young Purist clerk had discovered the papers in Lord Kewell's waste basket and in an act of monumental stupidity had sent them to the military headquarters for verification. In ordinary circumstances it would've been the right course of action, but seeing that Area 11 was then being governed from the Purist barracks, it was a disaster.

Furthermore, Gottwald, instead of assigning the best three pilots of Area 11 to guard Kururugi as had been originally intended, had sent Villetta to protect the prison. And neglected to inform Kewell of the fact. Finally, as the tour-de-force of the evening, the Margrave had made the escort squad exchange their rifles for lances on the grounds that they "looked better on camera". When they had finally set off, Kewell had half a mind to give Kururugi his gun and ask the Eleven to blow his head off.

Barely three hundred metres lay between them and their destination. The crowds were yelling their heads off at this point. Kewell wiped his brow and glanced at the road. _What the hell?_

Prince Clovis' royal vehicle was driving straight at them. Kewell looked at the only man who could've given the order to let them pass, and found Jeremiah staring back at him. "Looks like we have a comedian on our hands, Kewell," He said with a grin. Switching on his communicator, he announced, "LET THEM THROUGH! ALL FORCES, BACK DOWN! HALT!"

There was a strange feeling in the pit of Kewell's stomach as he watched the masked lunatic come out and strut about like a peacock. The sensation became something like a leaden weight in his innards as the car's sides fell apart to reveal Prince Clovis' experimental poison gas capsule. After that, things had happened so fast that he found it hard to explain anything afterwards.

The nutter in the mask, Zero, had started threatening the Britannian civilians and ordered Jeremiah to hand over Kururugi. Then the mad terrorist had started on something called "Orange". Just then a single VTOL deposited it's Knightmare on the ground.

"Finally, a VTOL! You idiots took your time!" Jeremiah had remarked before his Knightmare was attacked _from behind_ and went down. Kewell himself had barely entered his cockpit when his machine was hit and the auto-eject kicked in. The last thing the Colonel saw before losing conscious were the rouge Knightmares shooting down the incoming security VTOLs with sniper rail guns, while Zero and Kururugi ran towards the edge of the causeway.

* * *

><p>"That was crazy," Tamaki yelled as he practically danced before the rebels, "It's not as if a stunt like that will work every time."<p>

They had met in an abandoned theatre in the middle of Shinjuku; Zero had disappeared with Kururugi and left them to their own devices. That weird girl-friend of his sat in the corner quietly, playing with her Cheesekun toy. How she had managed to sneak into one of the Knightmares escorting Kururugi was beyond Ougi.

Ougi sighed. He spoke with a small smile on his face, "You got to give those two some credit though. Nobody else could have pulled that off except him, not the Japanese Liberation Front and certainly not me. Even fighting against Britannia- It might be possible, as long as we have him at our side." He called out to the green-haired girl. "Hey, why don't you sit with us? The way you knocked out that Purist and the other guard was amazing! Anyone who can fight Britannia like that is a friend of ours!"

The girl looked at them with a haughty expression. She snorted and said in a rude voice, "Your choice in friends leaves much to be desired if you follow this policy. Besides, I'm better off alone. It's not like I care whether Japan gets independence or not!"

"What did you say, you damn Britannian girl!" Tamaki shouted as he rose, his fists clenched in anger. "You've got plenty of nerve, girl, to say..."

Karen came to her defence, "Leave her alone! She hasn't done anything wrong, has she?"

Suddenly, a voice like steel came from the door, "I believe CC was born somewhere within the present European Union, so you might wish to avoid stereotypes in the future, Tamaki. If this is how you behave towards Britannians, Can you blame them if they discriminate against you?"

"SHUT UP, YOU BRITANNIAN FREAK!" Tamaki roared, his face red with shame and anger while Karen unsuccessfully tried to get him to shut up, "You have no right to question us! What if you planned everything, eh? What if those army officers were in cahoots with you and you're a spy? Answer..."

Ougi smashed his fist on the arm of his chair. "TAMAKI, ENOUGH! We have more important things to do!" Turning towards Zero, He asked, "What happened to Kururugi? Will he be joining us?"

Zero gestured to CC and both of them headed towards the door. "Kururugi won't be joining us; neither did I expect him to. Keep a low profile for now, at least until the new Viceroy reaches Japan. I will contact you all when things are ready."

* * *

><p>Later that day, Lelouch finally bowed to the inevitable and introduced the witch to his sister. Nunnally had been pretty depressed over Suzaku's imprisonment and subsequent "kidnapping", and Lelouch figured that meeting a new friend would be good for her. After extracting a promise from CC to be on her best behaviour, he had left the sitting room and made his way to the dorms, where he borrowed Rivalz's waiter uniform for the night. 11 PM had seen him sitting in the Jolly Griffin's store-room, philosophizing upon Human folly. The Geassed Mr Witherspoon had almost prostrated himself in front of Lelouch when the latter had entered the pub-much to the surprise and amusement of many patrons. Lelouch had ignored it; the damage was done- He'd simply have to remember to come by the back entrance if he had business at the Griffin.<p>

At 11:05 sharp, Jeremiah arrived.

"Hail, my Lord. I'm glad to see that your plan went off without a hitch," he began.

Lelouch chuckled. Orange's loyalty was one fixed point in a strange world. He acknowledged Orange's greeting with a nod, and said, "You belittle yourself, my good friend. Today's little game was entirely your show! I'd been lost without you."

"You are too kind, Your Highness! I'm honoured to serve you. My job was easier than you believe; that ace you had with the VTOL wiped out two squads of Knightmares before running out of ammo and the spy you had snuck in was brilliant as well. You have a good eye for talent, my Lord."

"Anyhow, I fear today's incident might prove to be a problem for you. I didn't want to involve you at all, but any other option might've harmed the civilians. You may expect the Purists to have a schism soon," observed Lelouch as he took out his laptop, "If I were you, I'd rally the troops and send them on a witch-hunt throughout the bureaucracy."

"Kewell was the face of my opponents among the Purists, sire, and he was involved in today's event as well" stated Gottwald while looking over the plans Lelouch had made for attacking Cornelia's supply trains. He passed on the documents on Area 11 Knightmare factories he'd brought for Lelouch. "I'm sure that with the misinformation I've sown upon your advice, any controversy will probably lead to the complete destruction of the Purist faction."

"And you're not sorry?"

"Never, my Lord. I've pledged my life to you. Little sacrifices like that are necessary. Besides, it wasn't as if I had any great love for the organization," replied the Margrave.

"I see," Lelouch mused. Suddenly, he leaned forward and spoke in a low voice, "I would like your honest opinion on Area 11, Jeremiah. What do you think of the terrorists I'm using?"

Jeremiah shifted uneasily in his seat. He started in an unsure manner, "It's not my place to question your decisions; but are you sure it's wise? Trusting Eleven's is something I usually won't recommend. How can you trust them?"

"I don't, Jeremiah!" How could he after all? The traitors had betrayed him, to Schniezel of all people. It had taken them mere moments to forget all his sacrifices, all his struggles...Seeing the bunch of idiots after his talk with Suzaku had only reminded him of all their short-comings. Even though they'd accepted him, the way they'd turned on CC was disgusting and it was with difficulty that Lelouch had stopped himself from simply enslaving them all on the spot. Thankfully, Karen wasn't like the rest of them. She was truly someone worthy of being his queen...

'_Where the hell did that come from?_' Lelouch wondered as he brought his mind back to the present.

"The only good egg in that lot is that Ace. No, not CC- that's the green-haired girl you saw with me that day." he clarified on seeing Jeremiah's puzzled face, "The one with the VTOL." He paused for a moment allowing the words to sink in. "Unfortunately, it's not like I have any options. Until I conquer the Chinese Federation, they'll have to do. Also, Karen is one of the best pilots I've seen in my life; her allegiance will help me a lot!"

Jeremiah couldn't believe his ears. The Holy Britannian Empire had been unable to make any inroads on Chinese territory for over a hundred years. The Eunuchs didn't seem interested in antagonising the Empire but several factions within the federation did support the many insurgencies in the area; India was especially belligerent towards Britannia. With the Empire's best troops stuck in Africa and Area 11, the Chinese were virtually unassailable presently. "Con...Conquer the Chinese federation? My lord, it's...it's...But the Empire can't do ..."

"The Empire never went about it the right way!" said Lelouch heatedly. "They are satisfied with the status quo! Do you know, Jeremiah, the reason for the aggressive expansion of the Empire the Emperor has been overseeing since his coronation? The wars aren't random! There is an explanation for them!"

"May I know the reason?" asked Jeremiah hesitantly, surprised at the sudden vehemence the Prince displayed.

"You will, Jeremiah, just give me some time!" said Lelouch. He stood up and started pacing. He growled, "I know my position, Jeremiah but I promise you, I will succeed! All I ask for is your trust."

"I beg your forgiveness, my Lord. It isn't my place to question your decisions."

"You can go easy with the formalities, Orange. Simply call me Lelouch!" The Prince remarked, "To answer your question, I have a plan. I just need to carve an army for myself from these terrorist factions."

Jeremiah nodded. A puzzled frown came to his face, "What's Orange? My Lord...er...Lelouch sir..."

"Orange is the colour of your loyalty, Jeremiah. I will tell you the full story behind it to you one day. Until then I would like to ask for your patience," the Prince mused in a nostalgic manner.

"I understand, your Highness. I will take my leave now, sir, if that's alright with you."

As he walked towards the door, Lelouch called out from his chair, "Jeremiah, tell me. What would be your reply if I asked you to become my Knight?"

* * *

><p>Suzaku Kururugi put down his spoon and sighed. He couldn't help but smile when he looked at Nunnally and Lelouch sitting at the table with him, even though one of the two seemed less than happy to see him.<p>

He had gone to the Lancelot's hangar early that day, expecting to spend the day field-testing the mech. Instead Cecile-san had waved him off from the Hangar with a smile, saying that Princess Euphemia had taken an interest in his case and enrolled him at Ashford. Dr Lloyd had been kind enough to keep a uniform ready for him and drop him at the school, in time for class.

He wondered whether he could meet and thank the Princess personally one day. She seemed to be as kind as Euphy and his superiors at the lab. Suzaku hoped that Euphy was a student at Ashford too; at least he would have one friend there.

While Euphy hadn't been at Ashford, Lelouch and Nunnally were. He and Lelouch had talked for a while on the school terrace, but Lelouch had been unusually subdued and uncommunicative. He had merely grunted at most of Suzaku's questions and given the most evasive of answers. The young soldier had been confused until he realized that Lelouch didn't actually want to be there at all. Suzaku hadn't been hurt at the cold shoulder- at least that's what he told himself- after all, Won't it be problematic for Lelouch and Nunnally if it became common knowledge that they were friends with an Honorary Britannian, especially one as controversial as himself? The two students at Shinjuku the other day had dark looks on their faces when Euphy had stood up for him. While Euphy pretended she couldn't hear the words they used to describe her as she dragged him away from the place, Suzaku could barely restrain himself from attacking the two. Suzaku had been loath to accept Lelouch's invitation for dinner, but the desire to see Nunnally after seven long years won out in the end.

Unlike Lelouch, Nunnally was ecstatic to see Suzaku safe and sound, and had actually started sobbing with joy. Lelouch had been polite but reserved during the entire meal but Nunnally had more than made up for his laconism. Ultimately, even Nunnally had noticed the awkward silence between the two boys and everyone's mood had quickly soured. Lelouch's face remained blank like a mask throughout the meal and he appeared to avoid meeting Suzaku's eyes. As the meal drew to a close, Suzaku had grown more and more uncomfortable with the state of affairs, until he could have cried out with relief when Lelouch got up from the table.

"I'm sorry for Onii-sama's behaviour, Suzaku-san," said Nunnally in an apologetic voice." I think he is worried about some work."

One didn't have to be a genius to realize that Nunnally was desperately trying to make excuses for Lelouch. Suzaku replied, "He is the Vice-President of the Student Council after all. Also, I heard that Miss Ashford had given him a job to do for tomorrow." He felt terrible lying to Nunnally, but what else could he do?

Nunnally nodded weakly and paused. Suzaku looked at her, puzzled, until he realized what she was doing- trying to check where Lelouch was. On hearing him talking with someone, probably on the phone; she started again hesitantly, "Suzaku-san, can I ask you a question? Is Onii-sama seeing someone?"

Lelouch? A girlfriend? Suzaku couldn't believe his ears at first. But then, what was so strange about it? Lelouch appeared to be extremely popular among the girls at Ashford academy; and It would be natural for him to be in a relationship.

Was that the reason why Suzaku's presence was making him uneasy? Maybe, he didn't want the ghosts of his past haunting him now, especially when he was trying to move on with his life...Suzaku wondered whether Princess Euphemia would take offense if he dropped out of school.

"I don't know for sure, Nunnally-chan. Surely, he would introduce the two of you, if that were the case. Can you tell me anything more?" he told the little girl.

Nunnally said in a low voice, "About two weeks ago, in fact, it was the day of the Shinjuku gas attack, Onii-sama had returned home very late with CC-san, that's her name, in his arms. She stayed here for a few days." Nunnally started fidgeting and then said, "I think she was injured in some way. I think she'd been shot. You're in the army, Suzaku-san; what if Onii-sama is in some kind of trouble? I've asked him but he's been...different these few days."

Of course! The girl in the capsule! No wonder, Lelouch had been so reluctant to answer his questions. While it was strange that he'd endangered Nunnally by bringing the object of a manhunt to his home, Lelouch had been unpredictable even when he was a child. Suzaku couldn't understand why Lelouch had helped the girl- but if Britannia did want her, Lelouch may have found some sort of satisfaction in helping her escape. Speaking to a Britannian soldier about her would be stupid- even if said soldier had once been a friend.

Once been a friend.

"I joined the school only today, Nunnally. I'll make some inquires if you like. Don't worry about Lelouch; I will protect him if any problem arises." Suzaku said weakly.

When dinner had ended, Suzaku thanked the Vi Britannias, no, the Lamperouges and walked out. To tell the truth, He barely knew what he had eaten. _'Don't be_ _stupid,' _ he chided himself. How many Britannian families were there who would invite an Eleven for dinner, even if the latter was an honorary Britannian in the army? Besides, wasn't it best if he stayed away from their lives? He had a burden to carry; but Lelouch and Nunnally seemed to have moved on...No, Lelouch was right to avoid Suzaku, just like he'd always been right in the past. With a heavy heart, Suzaku went down the porch stairs.

"You know, you were unusually quiet today. You have changed!" came Lelouch's voice from the back.

Suzaku turned and said softly," I guess I have!"

The silence hung between the two like a tangible curtain. After a few awkward seconds, Suzaku began talking, "I've been thinking, Lelouch. It's best if we pretend not to know each other. People might start wondering how the two of you know an honorary Britannian, especially someone like...me. I was thinking..."

"Suzaku, listen to me."

The young soldier lifted his eyes from the ground. It was as if the curtain had lifted from Lelouch's face. The Prince's voice was cold, authoritarian and for a moment, Suzaku felt as if he was listening to the Emperor himself.

"This is ridiculous! I meet you after so many years, and you start spewing this damned self-sacrificing crap? You believe Nunnally and I would stand by silently, when you're dealing with the students here? I won't let anyone dictate how I behave with my friends, least of all that maniac in Pendragon. You, as my best friend, should know that better than anyone else!" Lelouch stopped for a moment to catch his breath and then continued, "You can do whatever you want but I never considered you as someone who would forget his friends because of some damned policy."

Suzaku was stunned. Did Lelouch really mean all that? "I don't know, Lelouch. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. You see I thought..." He started weakly but Lelouch waved off his apology. "Spare me the forgiveness nonsense, Suzaku." A strange emotion came to his eyes. "We're friends, aren't we?"

They stood there silently for a while before Lelouch said with a sigh, "We're two idiots, aren't we? All this time and we're still...searching...for a place to belong." He asked, "Where are you staying these days? I'm sure you were kicked out of the barracks when that buffoon was killed."

"Buffoon? Lelouch, he was your..." Suzaku started but Lelouch held up his hand. He said coldly, "I don't consider them my siblings; you are more of a brother to me than Schniezel or Clovis. Besides, the old Viceroy was an idiot! As far as I'm concerned, the entire lot are a waste of space!"

'_And here was I hoping he had moved on_.'

"Not all of them are bad, Lelouch. Princess Euphemia helped me, didn't she?" Suzaku protested.

"Well, just your luck then! Meeting the sole decent Princess among that horde of racist idiots! It was Euphy who set you up in this place, didn't she? She's the only one in our family idealistic and stupid enough to pull a stunt like that..."

"Euphy?" Suzaku repeated in a weak voice; It couldn't be! Surely, there were other girls with the name! Maybe she was an employee at the military headquarters or something! Yes, that must the truth! That was the truth! "You mean Princess Euphemia, don't you?"

"You haven't met her yet, have you? She hasn't had her debut yet; but you can recognize her easily. Pink hair, lavender eyes, a chirpy sort of voice, a bit shorter than you. Last I knew, she used to wear her hair as two buns near her ears. What's the matter, Suzaku? You look pale..."

* * *

><p>"So, you're telling me that this...this buggy car is all you fools have designed during the past two years!" thundered Lelouch Vi Britannia at General Bartley. The general didn't flinch or betray any hint of emotion but Lelouch knew that was due the utter serenity that Geassed slaves possessed rather than any personal heroism on part of the rotund general.<p>

The fool in question bowed his head and said remorsefully, "I beg forgiveness, Your Highness. We've concentrated most of our research on the woman's abilities. Development of the neural interface and regeneration took..."

"SILENCE!" roared Lelouch, "You and the rest of the idiots here will now hear me properly and do what I say! You will study a couple of those soldiers I've placed here for protection and you'll try to remove them from my control! I don't care how you do it or how much it takes, you will complete my orders! As for the Siegfried, since you are completely useless; I will simply have to utilize Carrigan's research labs. Maybe they won't be as incompetent as you."

Bartley had become visibly disturbed at Lelouch's words but Geass had prevented him from interrupting his master while the latter was giving his orders. When Lelouch stopped, he started speaking rapidly, "I beg forgiveness, My Lord...But things will be easier for us if you give us some data to work with."

Lelouch considered his request. Despite his rage, he could see that Bartley was right...Data was required. But where could he find data regarding Geass cancelling? The only organization except Code-R that had any idea about Geass was the Directorate and... Lelouch ordered Bartley, "Call Renfield! It's time we put his status as spy to good use!"

If Renfield could act as a spy for VV, he could very well act as a double-agent for Lelouch. The man was a good psychologist but he could be replaced in that regard. The man might have to be sacrificed, but if he managed to send Code-R the data the Geass directorate had gathered before dying, they would be able to either create or duplicate the machine. The Geass Canceller, even if only a rudimentary form existed, was too important a weapon to ignore. If Renfield succeeded, Lelouch would finally have the perfect counter to every single assassin the Empire would send his way.

* * *

><p>At the time that General Bartley was weathering the storm of Lelouch's anger, Lord Carrigan was entertaining a visitor. The Lady sitting in front of him had been recommended by His Highness himself. He had been ordered to help her and give her whatever she wanted within reason so that the weapon she was designing could be completed as soon as possible.<p>

He waited until the maids had left before starting to talk, "Lady Einstein! I cannot express my joy at being privileged to serve you! Command me and all my resources are yours to use!"

The teen had been staring dumbstruck at the plates of caviar and oysters in front of her till now. Upon hearing his words, she blushed and bowing her head in shyness, weakly said, "I won't be much of a bother. I only require a...workshop and...Lelouch said that I could ask you if I needed funds, so can I have thirty thousand pounds please." Her voice had been soft and wavering even at the beginning but Lord Carrigan had to strain to hear the end of her request.

He answered happily, "I'm honoured to be of service, Lady Einstein. My Lord had commanded me to begin construction of a special laboratory in secret. He has also sent some technicians to aid you in your endeavours."

Ignoring the look of pure shock on his guest's face, he went on, "Please tell me if I can be of service to you in any possible way! Do you have any questions, Lady Einstein?"

"Yes, I'm curious...I know that the Vice-president is famous and popular but why are you calling him Lord, Sir? Aren't you an Earl?"

"True, my dear Lady, I am an Earl but my position is nothing before his greatness and dignity. I am swept along in the current of his turbulence. To obey him is my destiny!"

* * *

><p>Jeremiah Gottwald bore the indignities being heaped upon him with a stoic face. He barely paid any attention to Lord Guilford's talk of demotion and treason. The four-eyed fool even had the gall to accuse him of cowardice and tell him to quit the military and work on an Orange farm. Ordinarily, that would've provoked a reaction from the Margrave but not now. He couldn't lose his control now; He was on a mission from His Lord.<p>

He had expected such punishment after what the newspapers referred to as the 'Kururugi Incident'. Britannia didn't treat losers and incompetents well and letting a criminal go, no matter whether the latter was guilty or not, was incompetence of the highest order. Lord Guilford had been simply doing his duty; Jeremiah bore him no ill will.

The Margrave had, in a strange way, enjoyed the cruelty and hatred of his fellow officers. It was just and reasonable after all. His Lord might have forgiven him for his sins but he had no right to shirk his just desserts and take undue advantage of his master's mercy. He had never been properly punished for failing to prevent Empress Marianne's assassination and for letting her children suffer in Area 11 for so long. As far as he was concerned, he was simply paying old debts by accepting the scorn and brutality.

The only thing he regretted at this point was failing to send His Highness the details he'd asked for. A day before his arrest, he had received a package by mail. Inside had been details about a radical new weapon- the Knight Gigafortress.

The Knight Gigafortress was the biggest war-mech Jeremiah had ever seen in his life. The structure was essentially a derivation of the Knightmare frame, but was characterized by the lack of arms and legs, and its neural controls. Lord Lelouch had mentioned within the enclosed letter that the idea for the neural interface had come from experiments done by the research project Code-R. The researchers hadn't been trying to design a Knightmare though; the Siegfried design itself seemed to be a patchwork put together hurriedly by someone who only had the most basic idea about designing mechs.

The thing didn't seem to be practical at all. The Siegfried was supposed to fly using FLOAT technology- but the relevant research was a Britannian secret and the Code-R researchers seemed to have no idea about it. The only positive things Jeremiah could observe about the mech were its offensive abilities and its durability. But what use were they if the Gigafortress couldn't even move?

Jeremiah had been puzzled by the neural controls until he read about the changes being made in the design so that normal humans could operate it. The neural controls appeared to be exclusively for the use of 'Codes'. The Margrave hadn't been able to understand what 'Codes' meant...nor did he want to. If the details were okay for Lord Lelouch, they were satisfactory.

Lord Lelouch had asked him to send details about his piloting style and his preferred cockpit layout. Apparently, the Siegfried was being customized for his personal use. Unfortunately, Lord Guilford's dedication had meant that His Highness would've to wait for details.

He suppressed a surge of annoyance at Princess Cornelia's Knight. At least, the man wasn't kicking him out of the military. As long as he stayed within the Britannian force, he could pass details and war plans to His Lord. He won't let down his master and mistress! A savage grin broke out on the Margrave's face as he recalled his Lord's promise to introduce him to Princess Nunnally when conditions were right.

* * *

><p>Rivalz winced as he saw the paper work lying in front of him. It wasn't fair! Lelouch was taking advantage of him simply because they were friends! The Vice President had been distant to him ever since that day of the terrorist attack. Sure, Rivalz had got separated from him but it wasn't his fault! Lelouch was the one who had been so eager to play the good Samaritan, after all.<p>

Since that day, Lelouch hadn't played even a single game...He had simply mentioned something about a stronger opponent and sauntered off when he and Shirley had asked for explanations. Somebody was doing the old dark and mysterious routine a little too excessively and Rivalz was pissed off at his best friend.

Lelouch had vanished yet again and Nina was gone too, apparently Lelouch had wrangled a sponsor for her project or something. Milly was hard at work instigating yet another quarrel between Karen and Shirley...Sheesh, if only the two girls would spend as much time courting Lelouch as they spent arguing with each other! Maybe they could encourage him not to wander off without taking his friends along!

He yawned and stretched his arms. Enough! Rivalz got up from the chair and walked towards the window to get some air. Suzaku Kururugi, the new guy, was walking towards the Clubhouse. As Rivalz watched, the Eleven went up to a tree and sat down. The soldier appeared to be waiting for someone, looking at his watch every few minutes and peering excitedly at everyone coming along the path.

The poor boy had had a bad run, thought Rivalz. Even though he'd been cleared of all allegations, most of the students still saw him as a traitorous, murdering terrorist who shouldn't have been allowed into Ashford, no matter what Princess Euphemia said. Rivalz himself had no opinions about the young Eleven- He seemed to be decent and polite but making friends with someone like him would essentially make him a social pariah. He had given the same warning to Shirley when she had suggested talking with him.

Shirley was naturally friendly and outgoing but she was no Lelouch or Milly. Both of them had been silent regarding the new student. Milly had simply asked him to go along with the flow when he had approached her about Kururugi. Lelouch, on the other hand, hadn't even given a proper reply when asked about the issue. If Rivalz knew him, the Vice-President was probably planning how to ensure that Kururugi stayed as far away from Nunnally as possible.

Rivalz glanced at his watch. Lelouch had called a meeting of the Student Council at two. If he hurried, he could grab a bite from the school cafeteria and receive Nina as she returned from her little trip. At the very least, he would get away from the nauseating paperwork. Things were so difficult when Lelouch wasn't there to help!

* * *

><p>Cornelia li Britannia slouched on the throne in the Viceroy's office, secure that nobody was around to witness this moment of weakness. She felt tired, more tired than she'd ever been in battle. Almost all the areas conquered after Charles Zi Britannia's coronation were plagued by insurgencies, but Area 11 was a menace. The M16 had determined that there were an average of 4 bomb blasts <em>every week<em> in Area 11, despite the fact that 6 army divisions, including Cornelia's own Seventh army, were stationed in Tokyo alone- well, 5 actually, after the 3rd division of the Eleventh army was dissolved after the disaster of Shinjuku.

Cornelia wasn't a politician-She knew that better than anyone else. The only experience Britannia's best general had in governance before coming to Area 11, was 2 days in the Gibraltar SAZ when the commanding officer had died of a heart attack in the middle of the night. Area 11 had never actually stabilized after the war. General Montgomery's military rule had lasted 3 years before being replaced by a Senate. The corrupt nobles nearly bankrupted the place before the Emperor noticed and had them executed. Clovis was sent to Area 11 as Viceroy after Montgomery, the Emperor's first choice, had died in his bed. The situation hadn't improved under Clovis' bungling. Corruption was rampant, civil unrest high and the nobility dissatisfied. Then there were the terrorists-786 different groups at last count. And one of them had assassinated Clovis barely a week ago.

Ever since reaching Area 11, Cornelia was almost constantly at battle with some faction or the other. It had initially been a tactic to draw Zero out of hiding, now it had simply become an outlet for her anger. She felt a deep-seated satisfaction whenever she killed one of those...those...things; It felt as if she was avenging her dead siblings.

Cornelia had never liked the numbers, but she detested the Elevens from the bottom of her heart. For all their talk of honour ('_what did Darlton call it? Ah, Bushido!'_); they had shown precious little while murdering Lelouch and Nunnally. The so-called resistance displayed a callousness towards human life that shocked even Cornelia's battle-hardened troops. As far as she could see, more Elevens appeared to have died at the hands of the pathetic terrorists than on the bayonets of the Britannian army.

Cornelia had been slightly relieved when the Purists had taken control of Area 11 in the absence of a Viceroy. Jeremiah Gottwald had a reputation, even in Pendragon and many believed that it wouldn't be long before he obtained a position in the Rounds. Cornelia didn't like him much- He had been one of Empress Marianne's guards and he, like the rest of the fools there, had done absolutely nothing for either the Empress or her children.

Despite her distrust in him, Cornelia would've gladly recommended him for permanent Viceroyship-if only to get out of that loathsome country. However, that idea had flown out of the window with the farce played out the other day. Jeremiah and that stooge of his had made a media spectacle of a tribunal, of an innocent nincompoop no less, and made a mockery of the Britannian army on International Television.

The circumstances were suspicious- The prison was heavily guarded but instead of escorting Kururugi, the Knights had hung back under the command of Dame Villetta Nu. The road was lightly guarded at best and Lord Soresi had screwed up on the VTOL deployments, somehow managing to lose two squads over Okubo. By some strange contrivance, both the squads were meant to be deployed on the final lap of the road- the exact place where Zero had appeared; ensuring that reinforcements reached too late to do anything.

Cornelia could understand Jeremiah's desire to face the terrorist by himself- but, there was a time and place for chivalry. What was more galling was the fact that the Margrave hadn't planned for aerial attacks- the stolen VTOL hadn't even been challenged! Then was the matter of the spy in the escort squad- the one that had taken down Lord Soresi and his subordinate. The fools hadn't even been in their cockpits while travelling- It was as if they were inviting all the snipers in Area 11 to take pot-shots at them!

Zero came, saw the incompetence and escaped with Kururugi. The two rogue Knightmares had wrecked rare havoc on the helpless VTOL reinforcements, ejecting only when troops arrived on foot from the tribunal court.

In the aftermath of the affair, the Purists, instead of steadying the boat, had had some sort of schism. However in absence of any clear leader, the group had effectively fallen apart. Finally, they had chosen Villetta Nu as Chairman, who had elected to wait for Viceroy Cornelia's arrival before doing anything. The Senate had taken control and spent the rest of the week undoing any good the Purist regime may have done.

On reaching Area 11, the first thing Cornelia had done was to launch an investigation on Clovis' assassination and the Purist's 'betrayal'. Darlton came to the same conclusion as Gottwald- the culprit was a professional assassin, maybe from the EU, who had help from traitors within Prince Clovis' inner circle. It was probably true- Europeans had supported terrorists with money and personnel in the past.

Guilford had been disgusted with his duty though. In his words; "I can't decide whether all that was a hopeless complex plot or clear evidence that all Area 11 officials went insane long ago. Those Purists are arguing like children and if I hear another word about accountability and Bartley again, I'll personally shot them all."

In the end, they had demoted both Gottwald and Kewell by two ranks, and sent them off after Bartley. The two appeared to have accepted the dishonour and sunk their differences in mutual hatred for the missing general. They had requested Cornelia to allow them to search for the traitor on their own, and Cornelia almost felt pity for the fat man. Almost. She wasn't satisfied with Guilford's report and the punishments, but the Purist leaders were known for their patriotism and without clear evidence, there was little she could do.

She sighed and sat up on her chair. Euphy had been depressed on hearing of her sub-Viceroyship, probably thinking of the three siblings she'd lost in Area 11, but had perked up on reaching Tokyo. She'd also taken an interest in work- the Kururugi fiasco had almost entirely been handled by her. The personal interest she was taking in a mere Number was bothersome, but the brat was good and maybe, he did deserve an apology. _'I'll ask Guilford to promote the kid and get him some rooms at the Settlement.'_

But now, to work.

Zero had his time in the sun, but it all ended tomorrow. It would all end tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Izumi Kaen held the phone with shaking hands. He whispered, "Is it really you? This is not a joke, is it?"<p>

"It's not." The voice was cold, harsh with a metallic rasp to it; as if its owner was speaking through an electric modulator.

"Then...then we're all dead...There's no way we can fight against Cornelia!" stammered Izumi. All around him, his comrades started expressing similar opinions but the voice rang out through the speakers.

"Never fear! I am the man of miracles! If you wish to flee, flee! If you wish to witness my power, stay! I will not force you to do anything! Choose!"

The choice was hard, but in the end, everyone chose to fight. Zero had promised them a miracle after all...

* * *

><p><strong>I may have exaggerated<strong> **Orange-kun's** **madness here...But to tell you the truth, I loved Episode 25 in R1! ALL HAIL BRITANNIA! I've also made slight changes in his back-story. The man worshipped Marianne in R2; He must be as devoted to her (son) in the R1 timeframe.**

**Kewell came across more as the archetypal pukka-sahib type than anything else in Code Geass. They're either the worst kind of people or harmless fools...Most of the Area 11 administration under Clovis was probably this type. Bowing to authority and blind faith in colleagues is a typical trait; as is blundering into situations and suspecting others at the least sense of unorthodoxy in the cause.**

**Sneaking CC into the entourage must have been easy for Orange. As is stealing a VTOL. I've noticed that CG mechs are useless when they're in VTOLs...In my opinion, a good sniper could knock out five or six before having to escape.**

**The Knight Giga-Fortress here was designed by the Code-R workers on Lelouch's orders. He gave them the idea, not Bartley. In canon, the warmech was conceived by the Rosenberg scientists and Schniezel handed it over to Code-R because of their experience with neural interfaces and human experimentation.**

**Lelouch's behaviour with Suzaku? One of the first things I noticed in CG fanfic archive was the, ahem, harsh, ahem, outlook on the two's friendship. As far as I could see, the two had made their peace in the end. LVB had come to terms with almost everything in his life...Something that defined him as a truly extraordinary protagonist. Accepting people for what they are and helping them in life is only a facet of such a personality.**

**Or he might have thought of a more gruesome way to stab Suzaku in the back...Who knows?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you! Thank You! Thank you!**

**I must admit, the response for this story has been far better than I expected. I'm writing fiction for the first time in years and I must admit, my writing skills were really rusty when I began.**

**Now for the regular Othir's rants...**

**The military and strategy concepts in the entire series make no freaking sense at all! **

**I can't understand why nobody is using jets and rockets. It may be possible that guided missile technology or AI never developed...but then you have all these Knightmares and fancy buildings. The only way I can think of is if they concentrated purely on energy weapons and have really developed microelectronics. Maybe they got the hang of Silicon Carbide and 3-d MOSFETs a few centuries before us. But frankly, the planning in the show could've been a lot better.**

**The only half-way decent commanders seem to be Lelouch and Schniezel...Hell with Cornelia's so-called genius! I'm sure that I can defeat her army myself! Unless the world is full of crap, I can't understand how she can be described as a 'military genius'.**

**As for Knightmares? One infantry man with a nice Javelin unit can wipe out two or three easily! And their tanks seem to be made of paper Mache. Their infantry and Special Forces are completely useless! **

**What surprises me even more is that how ill-developed guerrilla tactics are! Virtually no one in the series, bar Lelouch, has any idea of how to deal with them! What's surprising is that the MEF and even the Asians don't use them...whereas it's impossible for them not to be proficient in them! The Afghans and the Marathas used them with great results against the English in the early days of the Raj.**

**Also there's no reason why the Black Knights are being supplied so well...unless the other governments know that their generals are shit! We are looking at a gigantic nation which is the equal of Britannia in Knightmare technology and in the story, it is content to remain in submission to China! Of course, they do revolt in the end, but anyone who knows anything of Indians and Chinese would realize that it's impossible to expect them to remain in such conditions for more than a few months at best.**

**MisterSP Hmmm...You do have a point there. But frankly, I'd rather live in a Britannian Empire rather than under the rule of any other European or Chinese nation. And Lelouch does say that Areas under Britannian rule are better off. I'm not commenting about freedom or other issues...but somehow I expect that Africa and South America were better off under Britannia. And there was the case of Russia. I'm sure that Schniezel, before he got that god-complex, was a pretty good chap to know...Maybe.**

**You have CC remarking that Lelouch wiped out the nobility...If that's true, he had something like 1% of Britannia's population wiped out. If that's not cold, I don't know what is...**

* * *

><p>It had been almost two weeks since she'd been to the ghetto and Karen Kouzuki was going stir-crazy. It was hard to maintain the facade of a weak girl constantly; it was even harder to put up with the Britannian students in the campus. It wasn't that they were all racist or xenophobic- they simply didn't care. Few of them seemed to realize that the settlement had been built on the bones of the 3 million Japanese who had perished in the war. Some of the girls hadn't even spoken with any Japanese in all the years they'd spent in the country! She had originally hated the girls in her class because they never bothered about her countrymen suffering in the ghettos. She later realized that some of them didn't even know that there were Japanese in the ghettos. "I thought only terrorists lived there and the Elevens worked in farms and factories outside Tokyo"-one of them had told Karen when the latter had asked about her opinion on Shinjuku.<p>

The Student Council was little better. She had quickly become friends with Milly Ashford who, contrary to her original opinion, was actually a hard-working, charismatic and intelligent person. She was also the only one among them who appeared to understand the problems faced by those in the ghettos. _'Dishonoured nobles would understand what past glory mean, don't they?' _The rest didn't seem to care at all or in Nina's case, were scared senseless of them. She suspected that Lelouch was interested in joining the army after finishing school-the Vice-President even had a license for non-military Knightmare frames. From Rivalz's descriptions, he would seem to be the best Ace in Japan but Karen, after watching Milly's videos, concluded that his synchronization ratios were about 50% at best. 50% might have been more than anyone else in her group...but Britannia's pilot corps were the best in the world; a 50% was merely average in their midst.

Her group was lying low after the Kururugi incident. Zero hadn't contacted them since that day and she, like everyone else, was taking the opportunity to catch up on her ordinary life. Life sucked but as Ougi told her; they couldn't recklessly attack anyone these days- not if they wanted to stay by Zero's side.

Karen smiled as she thought of their 'rescue' mission. The VTOL was one the royal guard usually used and it had worked like a dream-unfortunately, they had to abandon it as well as the Knightmares in order to escape through the monorail network. Despite Britannia's attempts to cover it up, the video of her shooting down incoming reinforcements had gone viral and "Zero's Ace" had become a sort of cultural icon alongside Zero himself. She had been sure that Kururugi would join them. Hadn't his father sworn to fight Britannia till the end? She couldn't believe Zero when he had given them the news about Kururugi leaving-but apparently; the military had been generous with the rehabilitation. You couldn't afford Ashford on a private's salary.

She couldn't understand how the boy put up with the discrimination though. No one had tried to talk with him or help him at all, but that didn't stop them from floating all sorts of rumours about him-he had enrolled to scout out the place for a terrorist group, he would take someone hostage and hold them ransom, he was obviously part of a smuggling ring.

Kururugi hadn't retorted or done anything about the comments at all. He had simply sat at his desk with his face turned down and his eyes sad. Shirley had been the only one willing to approach him but had reluctantly backed down when Rivalz had warned her about the social ramifications of such an act of kindness.

Milly entered the room, but she seemed to be preoccupied with something and her usual smile was missing. However, she'd brightened up on seeing Karen.

"You're early today! Glad to see you're taking an interest in your work," Milly laughed, "Or is it because of those you work with?"

Karen, confused by her strange question, asked her, "What do you mean?"

Milly replied in an airy tone, "O, you won't believe how many apply simply for the chance to work with Lelouch! You should be thanking me on bended knee for doing you a favour."

Ever since she had started attending Ashford regularly, Karen had been struck by the prestige and influence the Student Council members commanded at the school. Even Nina, a shy introvert, was well-regarded by teachers and students alike. The Student Council members were practically the rock stars of the school.

However, no one among the six members, including Milly, was as dynamic and popular as the aloof Vice President. Admittedly he was handsome and intelligent; but his vanity and arrogance, instead of repelling others, instead seemed to be a turn-on for all the girls at the place. Karen had been even more disgusted at the way Lelouch behaved in the presence of his 'fans'- bored and coldly dismissive.

Karen had disliked the brat from the moment she'd met him; his arrogance, his holier-than-thou attitude, his self-absorbed look- everything showcased him as a prime specimen of the class of humans Karen hated the most- Britannians. The boy wasn't of noble blood as she'd first suspected but nevertheless, Karen was sure that the Lamperouges were of pure-blood descent; purple eyes were generally a trademark of the higher nobility. The only redeeming feature Lelouch seemed to possess was the love he had for his sister, who seemed to a genuinely kind and gentle person. But while watching the two interact during the Student Council meeting had reminded her of Naoto...and that had, in an inexplicable manner, made her hate Lelouch even more.

Unfortunately, the attention she'd been paying to Lelouch hadn't gone unnoticed. Shirley, who seemed to have a crush on the brat, had zeroed onto her the moment they were alone and wasted her time by asking about 'your interest in Lulu!' The girl seemed to be unable to listen to reason and the situation had only worsened after Milly turned up.

Finally, Karen had practically run from the place, leaving a gleeful Milly and a sobbing Shirley in her wake.

Wearily, Karen answered, "No, Madam President. I'm not fond of Lelouch or anyone else! I'm happy as I am!"

"You don't like Lelouch? How insensitive you are!"

Karen cursed under her breath. What was the President's problem? She had half a mind to yell at the obnoxious girl but controlled herself. She had a secret to keep after all. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend. I mean, he is a good worker and quite helpful. And I suppose he is a good person." _'As good as an arrogant snob can be.'_

The door opened and Shirley stepped in. "Hasn't Lulu arrived yet? He called the meeting, didn't he? Said that he'd a request to make."

Karen realized why Milly had been asking her those silly questions.

"You came at the correct time, Shirley! Karen here was just describing how wonderful and skilled Lelouch is! How considerate he has been of her weak body...Don't you think he's being a bit too helpful, do you?" The President said with a broad grin.

Karen watched, horrified, as Shirley's smiling face morphed into one with an expression of absolute shock. The orange-haired girl started stammering and appeared to have lost all power of speech. To make matters even worse, Rivalz and Nina had entered, just in time to hear Milly's words and they were currently staring at Karen with pretty much the same expression as Shirley. Karen started shouting," THAT'S NOT TRUE! I NEVER SAID IT LIKE THAT-"

"I suppose you've been playing pranks again, Madam President," said Lelouch as he strode in. However the one following him was the last person Karen expected to see.

"Kururugi Suzaku?" stammered Rivalz," Did he have some kind of work with us?"

"No, I would like to request all of you to allow him into the Student council."

Lelouch couldn't have silenced the room more effectively if he had threatened them with a gun. Kururugi remained near the door and tried his best to imitate a statue.

"But...He's an Eleven, isn't he," objected Nina.

"He's also my oldest and best friend and I want to ensure that he doesn't have any problems at Ashford," Lelouch explained to a shocked Council. "Also, since he's in the army, It's not like he can attend school regularly- He won't face such problems if he's with us."

Karen couldn't believe her ears. Lelouch, the very personification of Britannian arrogance and selfishness, was friends with a Japanese? What was the world coming to? She glanced around the room. Despite the fact that Vice-President had recommended him, surely the others wouldn't allow an Eleven to enter. She began to suspect that Lelouch had called Kururugi simply to make fun of him.

"Well, if my Vice-President has recommended him, there's no way I can reject Suzaku, can I?" smiled Milly."He's in!"

"Thanks, Milly!" Lelouch looked around the room," I hope there are no objections." Nina opened her mouth, cast one look at Lelouch and backed down.

"Good!" exclaimed Milly as Kururugi started introducing himself to the members."Now, Karen has something to say to Lelouch, hasn't she? Let's hear it! Everyone!" she shouted out as both Shirley and Karen groaned.

* * *

><p><em>The world was white.<em>

_So was the ground. And the skies. And Everything that lay between the two._

_She walked forward as she had been doing all these years. She wasn't afraid...There was nothing to be afraid of. In this unborn world, there wasn't anything to be afraid of yet. But Euphy wasn't here and she was so alone..._

_A blond-haired man stood nearby, painting on his canvas. Cornelia walked towards him and sat on the ground, behind him. The man turned. Clovis with the same soft smile he always had; and his robes stained with his blood._

'_I'm sorry.'_

'_Don't bother, my Dear!' laughed Clovis. 'He was right. I was evil.'_

'_You didn't need to die! And I'm sure you had your reasons for what you did!'_

_Clovis smiled his old ruffled smile and shrugged. He turned towards his painting...He was making a picture of some of the Royal Princes and Princesses. Clovis himself was there in the middle, smiling widely. He had his hands on Nunnally's shoulders. Near them stood Luthor and Achilles, Catherine and Mina; everyone she'd lost...Empress Marianne stood at the side, carrying a tray of her wonderful éclairs. Lelouch was also there, trying to scowl but failing miserably._

_Tears streamed down Cornelia's cheeks. She stretched out her hand...and everything vanished. She spied a tree through the fog. It was barely a few metres away._

_She stumbled towards it. All around her, the fog was lightening. Shrubs and flowers peeked at her through the lightening mist; squirrels and chipmunks played in the grass. The place seemed familiar in some manner...But what was it?_

_It was an ash tree. At its foot, sat a young boy with a chess board laid out in front of him. He looked up when Cornelia came up to him and frowned._

'_You're late! Nunnally got tired and she went back to bed!'_

_Cornelia's hands shook as she reached out and touched her brother's hair. He hadn't aged a day since...He had been the first to die. Him and Nunnally. After that, barely a year had gone without the Royal family sacrificing one of its blood to the Gods of War and Conquest._

'_Stop wasting time! Come on; Sit down!'_

_Cornelia took her place at the White._

'_Lelouch, I'm...I tried my best...Nunnally and Empress Marianne...'_

'_Play or Nothing will be done! Seriously, Cornelia! Don't you remember at all? Seven years and you forgot everything?'_

_She looked at him through tear-stained eyes. Lelouch still had that scowl on his face, but now, he looked exactly like one of her old nightmares. One of his eyes had been torn out. Blood was streaming down his face and his body looked like someone had hacked it to pieces and then joined them again. He held Zero's mask in his hand. _

_He tossed it to Cornelia._

'_How many times must I tell you? You cannot kill unless you are prepared to be...'_

The Viceroy sat up in her bed. The alarm clock burst in sound. Four Thirty in the Morning.

* * *

><p>CC was puzzled. In all the long years of her existence, she'd never come across somebody as complicated as Lelouch. Despite being privy to the same memories as Lelouch- mostly, the ones pertaining to the more important parts of his past life- she'd been unable to understand him at all. Lelouch didn't trust her as much as he'd trusted the other CC, but that was to be expected. Few of her contractors had trusted her-Mao had been an exception, Maybe that was why she'd been so taken with him. History had shown again and again that no Geass could hold a feather to Human will and determination. Napoleon never had a geass; that didn't stop him from publicly executing Lord Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington and hero of the Battle of Reading- after tearing the latter's eyes out.<p>

But Lelouch was nevertheless, different. The boy was one of the most ruthless and vicious people she'd met in her life-especially when his sister or his friends were threatened. In his memories, she'd seen the brutality with which he'd massacred the Geass directorate and fought his wars. However, his behaviour towards the other CC had been puzzling to her.

It was almost as if he had cared. If CC was honest with herself- it was a feeling she could hardly remember. Her mother had loved her, until she'd died of cholera when CC was six. The nun had pretended to love her. Mao loved her in his own distorted fashion. At one point of time, she'd felt as if Marianne had loved her- before the young Knight allied herself with Charles. Her geass stained all love, all affection.

The face she _(she reminded herself, 'No! It was the other girl! Not you!)_ had made when the two had talked for the last time, before the battle of Mt. Fuji came to her mind. Any outside observer may've said that it was a perfect poker face, but CC knew herself. When Lelouch had been speaking to her, the girl- she-had been on the verge of bursting into tears.

Every time she thought of Lelouch swearing to stay at her side in the world of C, every time she thought of Lelouch fighting for the dream of a better, kinder world, every time she thought of him sacrificing everything to give the world the chance to go on, every time she thought of Lelouch helping her when her memories were gone; she almost felt..._envious? Was it possible to feel envious of oneself?_

In a way, it had hurt that Lelouch didn't trust her as much he'd trusted the old CC. In a strangely childish manner, she had taken out her irritation and confusion over her feelings on Marianne. The Empress had been unable to communicate with her while she was being restrained, but had been trying at regular intervals since. Unfortunately for her former contractor, she'd disturbed CC when the latter had been musing over the meaning of Lelouch's interactions with the witch in his past life. Marianne had felt the full force of CC's ire and hadn't returned since then.

'_Why didn't Marianne or Charles try to help me when Clovis had me? They knew I was in Japan, didn't they?'_ she wondered. No, she shouldn't think such nonsense. Such thoughts only messed up her mind even more. It was strange that Lelouch hadn't confronted her about her psychic connection with her former contractors. While nothing had arisen in the past and Lelouch had never heard anything about such a power, CC felt in her gut that Lelouch suspected it, at the very least.

The boy in question entered the room and started packing his armour in a suitcase.

"You're going to Saitama, aren't you? Does that mean I have to come with you too?"

"You may come if you wish. I already have a plan for destroying the Cornelia's army," he replied.

CC nodded. Obviously, the Prince would've come up with a plan. He had failed the last time only because his minions had betrayed him and tried to surrender_. _Knowing him, he'd probably have done something to prevent that. Geass? _'Strange how he's always betrayed at the worst possible moment!'_

CC decided to ask something that had been bothering her. "Why are you making the same mistakes, Lelouch? You're allowing Suzaku and the Britannians to get away with everything they've done! Don't you think you should maintain a tighter leash on your terrorist friends? After all, you screwed up your debut, didn't you?"

Lelouch sighed and a faraway look came to his face. He said softly, "I might say that it's because I don't want to mess the timeline much and render my foresight useless; but that won't satisfy you, right?" He looked up and began, "You know something? Towards the end of the battle of Mt. Fuji, I realized a very important truth. Everything- my name, my status, my powers, even Geass itself- none of them defined me at all. They were all simply a path...a path to realize who I truly was. At that moment, I was simply myself- not Lelouch Vi Britannia, not Lelouch Lamperouge, not Zero. I was simply...the person I was."

He stopped, a nostalgic smile came to face and he shook his head.

"What do you mean by that? What do you mean?"

"I learnt to move on."

* * *

><p>Andreas Darlton watched the squads move into position around the ghetto. A few more minutes and they'd be ready to start broadcasting over the media. He had no doubt in his mind that Zero would be captured. The plan his Lady had devised was perfect. Conditions were perfect. Even the infantry was mostly free to concentrate on the terrorists; most of the civilians appeared to have escaped to the centre of the ghetto. They'd be easy to round up after securing the flanks.<p>

He watched the commanders of the Eleventh army as they thanked the Princess for her mercy. _'FOOLS! Don't they realize that they've already lost all status and power?'_ He signalled one of his subordinates to ready the Royal guard. Guilford had been busy destroying the subway routes and was late in reaching the G1.

He was listening to Cornelia explain her decisions to the Eleventh army cretins when all of sudden, three squads of Sutherlands vanished from the IFF scanner. An security alarm rang, informing them that the supply train sent as bait, had been attacked.

"WHAT?" Darlton roared! "THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE! WE HAVEN'T EVEN DECLARED ANYTHING PUBLICLY!"

Guilford observed, "It appears that we were mistaken. The Yamato rebels do have some sort of connection with Zero. What should we do, your Highness? The Elevens will escape if the enclosure is broken."

Cornelia didn't seem to be worried about the events at all. She muttered, "So, he came before we announced it. Either he's allied with the Saitama rebels...or he has spies within the military. And the trains were attacked too." Raising her voice, she ordered, "Darlton, keep on tightening the enclosure! Deploy all forces and fill the gaps! Inform the media; there's no point in secrecy now!"

Darlton gave the orders. Waves after waves of Knightmares rushed into the ghetto as the first two divisions of the Seventh army displayed their full might for the first time in Area 11. They flooded the destroyed ghetto- and then, the entire place went up in flames. There was a shocked silence in the command centre as everyone stared at the scanner. 24 Knightmares and almost half of the heavy artillery were gone in a flash. So had the infantry regiments; over 900 Britannians were dead in the twinkling of an eye. Four city blocks had exploded at once; the very ground seemed to have been destroyed and the subway lines were exposed- _the subways!_

"Raw Sakuradite and Semtex explosives placed in the subways," stammered Guilford, "But how? It must have taken days to do such a thing over such a large place! And the civilians? God, What kind of monster is this man!" He looked at the Princess. "What should we do, your Highness?"

"Call the infantry back! Break the enclosure! Tell the armoured squads to disperse all over the ghetto and shoot everyone in sight! WE CAN'T RETREAT NOW!" Cornelia got up from her throne and ordered Guilford, "Prepare the Royal Guard! If things get worse, we may have to fight in the G1 itself." Turning on Darlton, she said, "Call for reinforcements, Darlton- the entire Eleventh army! Order the Purists to head out! And stop the broadcasts- we don't want the public to know of this!"

As the Princess fell silent, two squads vanished from the IFF screen with a blink. Within five minutes, the Seventh army lost a quarter of its Main Battle Tanks. Pandemonium reigned in the immediate vicinity of sector RG677 as the communication centre there was destroyed...along with five squads guarding it. The Commanders watched speechless, spellbound in horror, as the terrorists wiped out almost the entire air-cover the Seventh army had brought in less than fifteen minutes.

Things were quiet for the next ten minutes, until Darlton noticed something strange. Nine Knightmares had gathered around a building near the centre of the ghetto. Within moments, three more joined them. The general was going to contact them about their strange actions, when suddenly all of them broke formation and raced towards the squads nearest to their position. Darlton had seen the technique before-Islamic fundamentalists did that often in the aftermath of Britannia's annexation of Area 18 but suicide-bombings in Area 11? And how did Zero take control of twelve Sutherlands so quickly and easily?

He grabbed the communicator and bellowed, "All forces break formations! Stay away from each other! There are suicide-bombers amongst us! I repeat there are suicide-bombers! Watch out for Sutherlands with broken hatches!" But to no avail. As Princess Cornelia and Darlton looked on, Knightmare signals started dropping from the IFF scanner. Zero was taking advantage of their disorganization to attack; the rogue Knightmares were wrecking havoc on the confused Britannian squads- Darlton's orders had backfired upon the Seventh army.

The terrorist had grown so confident that they were now fighting in the open...and the terrified, confused Britannian Knights were crumbling under their onslaught. Incidents of friendly fire were cropping up all over the ghetto as the Seventh army's legendary discipline proved to be all too weak in front of Zero. The hijacked Sutherlands began to self-destruct. Dalton watched in horror as one of them took out an entire squad in a suicide attack.

"Princess Cornelia!" screamed an aide, "The Bridge is gone! We're losing our remaining troops at an alarming rate!"

"They shot down the last gunship! We must call everyone back."

"We should've shelled the place! General! The chain of command is broken! The men on the field are completely lost! We must retreat!"

Darlton regained control of himself. He turned towards his commander and advised, "We must retreat, Your Highness! Maybe, Zero will behave as we predicted even if he's winning!" Just then, Lord Kazinski's voice came from the speakers, "Lord Darlton, they knew that we'd attack! The civilians are all gone. A prisoner I've captured says that Zero had told them everything about our plans yesterday!"

'_IMPOSSIBLE! Only the Royal guard and my aides knew about the entire operation until today. He couldn't have predicted this all, it's impossible!' _

Cornelia's voice broke into his thoughts. "Zero hardly seems human, doesn't he?"She chuckled drily. "RETREAT! ASSEMBLE AROUND THE G1!" She ordered Darlton, "He's going to come after me now. Take him down if you see hair or hide of him! Tell Guilford to head out! You go, ready the inspection squad! I'll take direct command."

Cornelia felt weak as she saw the battered remnants of the Seventh army limp into position around the G1. The entire operation had resulted in a disaster rivalling Shinjuku in scale. And ironically, it was she who'd provided the terrorists with the means to do this. She wished she'd taken Darlton's advice to attach tracking devices to all the Knightmare frames sent out in the trains.

Zero was, in all likelihood, piloting a stolen frame. He was probably standing among the assembled forces, laughing at her. She wondered who he really was. They had originally suspected Toudou of the JLF, but it wasn't their style. The precision, the resourcefulness, the very tactics spoke of Britannian military doctrine and training. Surely, they didn't have a renegade noble on their hands? Preposterous! She'd have heard of such a genius if he had ever served the Empire.

A Sutherland activated its transponder inside one of the buildings. _'As predicted.'_

"Guilford!" She ordered, "Destroy it!" Guilford acquiesced and gave the order to charge. She watched the five of the Royal guard surround the lone Sutherland; And then all the signals vanished.

"WHAT! GUILFORD!" Cornelia screamed into the communicator. "ANSWER ME! GUILFORD! TRAVIS!"

"Your Highness, We're alright. Please don't concern yourself," came her Knight's voice from the speakers. _'Thank God._' "They were ready for us. We were hit by an EMP blast the minute we reached this place. It seems they had installed an Antilles in the basement and storing power for quite some time!"

'_Ready since yesterday...'_

"What about the terrorist?"

"Gone. The Sutherland was empty."

Cornelia sighed. "I'm sending Darlton to pick you up. I think that we've had enough."

Zero wasn't among the assembled frames. However, the terrorist Knightmare at the site of the EMP blast had contained a parcel.

A box of Swiss Dresden Chocolates- Euphy's favourite and a bottle of Bordeaux for Cornelia. There was also a greeting card addressed to Britannia's Goddess of Victory. _'Welcome to Area 11. Happy battles!'_

* * *

><p>Lelouch was in good mood! No, He was in a brilliant mood! Britannia's greatest living general? It would be fun seeing her face when she found his parcel! That'd take the wind out of her overblown sails! He practically skipped down the hallway. Now, only to prepare the mobile base and He was ready for Kawaguchi.<p>

The Yamato fools were good as meat-shields and nothing else; however, they'd carried out his instructions to the letter. A few of them had protested when he'd ordered them to retreat when the Purists ('_and my Royal Knight'_) rolled in but the rest of the operation had gone as smooth as butter.

Less than fifty people had been present at the ghetto when the Knightmares had rolled in and all of them were resistance fighters- some of them reinforcements from Akabane with RPGs and Laser-guided Missiles. Cornelia had also been good enough to supply them with fifteen Sutherlands; he had told the leader of the Fierce Yamato, Izumi to get into contact with Yoshida. The man might have been a coward but he had connections with the Sakuradite mine Unions. Zero needed plenty of fillers to supply the 25 Sutherlands in his command. The first time he fought the Battle of Narita, he had only the Guren and twelve Burai under him. Now, he had enough to not only challenge Britannia on an equal footing but also beat them.

He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice Milly until he'd almost knocked her down. The School President had been standing by a pillar, lost in her own thoughts and like Lelouch, hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings. As Lelouch grabbed hold of her shoulders, she had put on a smile but the boy had seen her initial expression.

Lelouch asked in a concerned tone, "What's the matter, Milly? Is something wrong?"

"What are you talking about, Lelouch?" his old friend said weakly, "It's you who's the paranoid freak here, not me! Anyways, looks like the Ice prince of our school is pleased over something! Care to tell me?"

The Prince frowned at her rather transparent effort to change the topic. This wasn't the Milly Ashford he knew. Her spontaneity, her vibe, her very sunny nature was missing. It was obvious that she was trying to hide something; it was even easier to see how forced and plastic her smile was now. "Stop this, Milly! Anybody can see that you're hiding something! Tell me, won't you?"

Milly smiled weakly. "I can't hide anything from you, can I? Very well, I didn't want to tell you so early but...they've set up another marriage meeting for me." Here, her face crumpled and Lelouch watched in horror as his friend's carefully maintained facade cracked to show the fragile person underneath. She wiped away her tears and went on, "I don't think I can put it off this time!" Putting her arms around Lelouch, she went on, "I'm tired, Lelouch! I thought I could be strong...I thought I could control myself; I'm sorry, Lelouch. But what should I do?"

Lelouch was reminded of the day after he'd geassed Shirley the first time. Milly had approached him that day too and asked him for help. She had been more composed that day though and had spoken with a kind of wry resignation to her fate. Wrapped in self-pity and guilt, Lelouch had ignored her, leaving his oldest friend to deal with her problems alone. But hadn't that incident happened after the Battle of Narita?

With a shock, Lelouch realized that the first time around, Milly had kept the news of her impending marriage from him and Nunnally for weeks; only approaching him when she had lost all hope of solving the problem herself. She'd pinned all her hopes on him, the self-assured, confident genius who seemed to have all the answers...and he'd left her friendless and alone.

He stroked the sobbing Milly's head and for a second, was reminded of CC. "Milly," he began softly, "You heard the news right now, didn't you?" When Milly didn't answer and simply went on weeping silently on his shoulder, Lelouch asked again, "Who is it, Milly? Can you tell me the name?" He knew the answer of course but it was good to be sure.

"It's someone named Asplund. He's an Earl and from the Motherland, "said Milly without looking at his face. "He's agreed to my hand already without even seeing me; At this rate, the marriage meeting will simply be a formality. I asked Grandfather for help but I don't think he can do it anymore."

Her voice trailed off and suddenly she pulled back from him. Her eyes were red with tears but she had managed to get her breathing under control. She began in a choked voice, "I'm sorry, Lelouch. I didn't want to bother...I know that you're worried about Nunnally after Prince Clovis' assassination. Nunnally said that you were behaving strangely after that day...I'm sorry I dumped my troubles..."

"Don't worry, Milly," Lelouch said while patting her arm. "It's good that you got it out. I don't know how I can help...but I will try."

"No, Lelouch! You can't!" protested Milly. "It's my problem! I will deal with it!"

"As you wish, Milly," said her friend with a tired sigh, "But even then, please remember, I will always be at your side! Never hesitate to ask for help. Can you get an appointment with Principal Ashford for me? I have something to ask him."

Milly said in a shocked tone, "Lelouch! If this is about my outburst, I told you I'm..."

"I wanted to talk with him regarding something else, Milly. I don't know how it will affect your marriage but I can at least try...Please, Milly. Trust me."

* * *

><p>Reuben Ashford sighed as he read Ashford academy's balance sheets for the year. The school was doing well; the Ashfords still managed to lead a comfortable lifestyle but their financial situation had worsened over the years...and now, the name of Ashford itself was in jeopardy. He had been under tremendous pressures ever since Empress Marianne was assassinated but never in his life, had he felt as tired and helpless as now.<p>

After thirty-six years as Head of the Ashford family, Reuben Ashford understood the importance of a good marriage for the Ashford heiress...especially since the family had few resources left. But sacrificing his beloved granddaughter to a loveless marriage with a man twice or even thrice her age was something the Ashford patriarch couldn't reconcile himself with. For the past one year, he had been Milly's principal ally against the rest of the family as they tried to arrange a marriage with a noble house but now, he'd reached his limit.

Reuben Ashford was sure that he won't last three more years. After his death, the control of the Ashford family would go to his son, who was a disappointment in every sense of the word. The entire generation had been a disappointment. The only one in the clan who seemed to retain the dynamism and charisma that had once made Ashford a bulwark of the Empire was Milly and Reuben was sure that her desires would count for nought after the inevitable happened and he died.

That had been the primary reason for his agreeing to his daughter-in-law's words this time. Earl Asplund, by all accounts, was a good man, if slightly eccentric, and would be a good husband for Milly. His little princess had been devastated upon hearing the news. Reuben had kept his face towards the window the entire time she'd been in his office, knowing that he wouldn't be able to see his granddaughter's wonderful smile vanish and her eyes lose their spark as she heard her mother's words without breaking down himself...He hadn't even answered her as she'd tearfully begged him for help like a small child.

The pager rang and Reuben read the name on the Display screen. A boy he loved as his own...Milly liked him too. Reuben thought of Empress Marianne. Marianne had been the daughter of his Head Engineer; she'd loved the Ashfords like her own family. At tea, both she and Reuben used to talk about the children and then the Empress would joke that it wouldn't be long until the Ashford estates became the property of the Vi Britannias.

The Ashford estate became Imperial property in the end; but the Vi Britannias never got hold of it...Reuben wished that they had...

As Lelouch entered the room and took a seat, Reuben forced a smile on his face and said, "Milly told you about her...marriage, didn't she?"

"How do you know?" asked Lelouch without any sign of surprise that the Ashford patriarch had divined the reason for his visit in seconds.

"The shoulder of your uniform is damp...So is your right sleeve," the old principal said.

The Prince inspected his clothes for a moment and then said, "Correct in one case. Milly was crying on my shoulder a few minutes back. I need to talk to you in this regard."

"I'm sorry, my boy. But I can't discuss about it. Forgive me. This is a personal matter." Reuben said curtly and waited for Lelouch's reactions. It pained him to behave so brusquely to him but what else could he do? He hoped that the Prince wasn't in love with Milly- It would be a complete disaster, especially as Prince Clovis had been killed barely a few weeks ago.

He had been prepared for resignation, grief and outrage...Lelouch's reply was none of those. The Prince held up his right sleeve and dragged it over a piece of paper lying on the table.

Blood.

"That was Sir Christopher Jameson, a warrant officer in the Seventh army. I hit him in the carotid artery and the blood sputtered a bit too high...But I would say that a soiled uniform is a small price to pay for destroying over a hundred Knightmares in one day. We need to talk, Mr Ashford and you will hear me out, whether you want to or not!"

* * *

><p>"Can I come in, grandfather?"<p>

Reuben Ashford looked up and gestured her to sit. He looked shaken, pale and his hand shook like he was having a fit. He looked like a man who had just received the greatest scare of his life. Milly thought of a raven-haired boy and suppressed a surge of annoyance. She had no right to complain. If Lelouch had lost his patience with her grandfather, it was her fault...she was the one who had pushed her troubles onto him.

She began in a subdued tone with her head bowed, "I'm sorry, Grandfather. It was all my fault- I asked Lelouch for help. Please, don't think..."

"Calm down, Milly! Listen to me first!"

"Was it Lelouch?"

A curiously blank look came over her Grandfather's face and he answered mechanically, "No, His Highness never came here." Then as suddenly as his face had changed, he came back to normal. For a few seconds, neither Patriarch nor heiress spoke or even moved.

Taking off his glasses, Reuben Ashford rubbed his eyes and began, "I know you don't want to marry now, my dear. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to stop your mother this time. The Ashford family hasn't been in the best of conditions for quite some time and to tell you the truth, I'm losing control of everything."

Milly blinked in confusion. She knew all that! However, she didn't interrupt her grandfather, keeping her head down and folding her hands on her lap.

The old man continued, "I had a...visitor recently; It wasn't the person you think he is. I promised to keep his name secret." Here, the old man grew flustered, "Let's just say he's persuasive- very persuasive. He said he didn't have the funds presently, but he would like to buy our old research data and any remaining Knightmare prototypes- and He'll be paying in liquid cash and raw Sakuradite. I didn't pay him at first but then he showed me a video he had with him..."

Milly looked up to see a picture in front of her. The magazine article it was part of, was about the security during Prince Clovis' assassination.

Prince Clovis, shot in the heart.

Reuben Ashford's face was pale and his hands were shaking as he spoke. Her blood ran cold as she realized exactly who had approached him. But surely, he wouldn't agree to a deal with Zero just for money? With a gasp, she wondered whether her opposition to her marriage had created such a crisis. "Grandfather." She stood up, "You haven't made a deal with a terrorist, have you? If it's for my marriage, then I don't want it! Stay safe!"

"It's not a terrorist, princess." the Principal said, "It's the worst thing we can imagine."

Milly couldn't understand what her grandfather was hinting at; He seemed to be in actual physical pain while speaking. From time to time, he would give a little gasp and clench his fists- Milly observed that such things happened whenever he was close to telling her his visitor's identity. And what exactly did he mean by 'the worst thing' imaginable? Their lives weren't improving, Area 11 was practically a warzone, the Empire would be at war with the Union soon...

"The Empire," Milly gasped.

Reuben Ashford literally collapsed when she said the words. He wildly clawed at his chest; his breath came in great ragged gouts. Milly jumped up and had dialled two digits of the local hospital's number already when her grandfather grabbed her arm. He said in a horrible raspy voice, "Stay! He said it's only an illusion but whatever it is, you have to know the truth! I owe you the truth!"

He paused and went on, "This visitor told me a very funny thing, Milly. Have you ever wondered how the absolute Monarchy in Britannia has sustained itself for all these centuries? Every single country in the world has some sort of democracy or plutarchy in its system of governance- except Britannia. Many attribute it to the anti-republicanism that developed among Britons after the invasion of England but what if there was more to it..."

"You've heard this stupid thing Royalists and other ignorant people say, don't you? How royalty is semi-divine; beyond ordinary humans." By now, Reuben's eyes were bloodshot and every breath he took was like the wheezing of a terminally ill man. Yet he preserved and yet, Milly sat in front of him in shocked silence.

"What if those stories are true? What if the Royal family truly has transcended Humanity? Imagine a power capable for enslaving men, forcing them to obey...Forcing their bodies to obey. Imagine an individual with such will and strength! Milly, You do know what I'm telling you, aren't you?"

Milly couldn't think of anything to say. Her mind had completely gone blank. She heard herself saying in a strange voice that was like the voice of a stranger, "Lelouch!"

"Princess Cornelia has been defeated at Saitama. I don't know whether this has appeared on the news yet but I believe him. Britannia's greatest general, the third prince...and I start choking when I try to speak..." He coughed once and continued, "He wanted me to convince your mother to delay your marriage until you were ready. He offered me money, a million, so that the Ashfords could tide over..."

"What about the offer you mentioned at the beginning? He didn't force you to accept it, did he?"

Her grandfather responded, "He didn't...At least he said he didn't. He told me that he didn't want to enslave people like his father."

"You're lying," said Milly, "You must be lying, Grandfather! You have to be lying!" She burst into tears. "Please tell me you're lying," she whimpered but the old man simply bowed his head. For five minutes, the only sounds in that room were Milly's sobs and her laboured breathing.

Reuben Ashford said hesitantly, "Milly, you aren't going to betray him, are you?"

On seeing her shake her head, he exhaled noisily and said, "Don't do anything rash, my dear. I only wanted you to know the truth. He...He likes you; I'm sure he cares for you. Trust him."

Milly couldn't bear to hear any more; she rushed out of the office and came face to face with her best friend.

"I wasn't careful or forceful enough...I feared the worst when he called you," he said while looking at her tear-stained face. "I believe you have some questions."

* * *

><p>"You're really young, aren't you? I wonder why Britannia is so content to leave its most important affairs in the hands of such green diplomats..." mused Field Marshall Wilhelm Keitel as he poured out a cup of coffee for his guest.<p>

The latter was a blue-eyed young man who looked little older than a teen. He carried himself with a delicate, almost feminine grace and displayed little regard for official protocol. General Keitel had taken a dislike for him at first sight, which had only intensified after the boy had ignored almost all his requests for arranging a meeting with Royalty. Instead, the so-called 'Earl' had spent his days romping through the fleshpots and tourist traps of Eastern Europe and had turned up at Geneva on the very last day of his month-long visit to the European Union.

Earl Kanon Maldini shook his head when offered a cup. He gently said, "Being young...That's a fault all of us are guilty of at some point of our lives. You yourself were younger than me when you won at Dar-es-Salam against Admiral Tong. Besides, Wouldn't it be better if we got down to business? Prince Schniezel expects me to be at his side within 20 hours."

The General grimaced in annoyance. He began in an irritated tone, "Very well, Earl Maldini! Let me remind you that it has been you who has been ignoring my attempts at a proper discussion...You realize, don't you? Further Britannian intrusions into EU local politics won't be tolerated! I know you've spent the past three weeks stirring up dissent in Russia and Bavaria. Your attempts to..."

"Beautiful Bavaria!" sighed Kanon as he took a bite of his escargots. He didn't seem to have noticed the growing anger on his host's face. Nevertheless he spoke, "Never fear, my Lord! As you might already be knowing, judging by the number of bugs in my rooms...None of my meetings have been under the auspices of the Empire. Prince Schniezel knows very little of my business here; I've been simply scouting for talent here!"

"Talent?"

Kanon clarified in a disarming voice, "I'm on the board of directors for the Cambodian National Museum. The Chairman was the one who sent me to the EU...We're setting up a few scholarships, giving funds to deserving researchers..."

General Keitel gnashed his teeth as he heard the Earl go on about Indian Flying Fortresses and Serbian Space enthusiasts. It was obvious the man was lying...yet, his words about bugs were true. Neither the ENS nor the SS had been able to detect anything out of place in the past month. Earl Kanon Maldini was, as the Britannians said, 'clean as a whistle'. A bit too clean, in Keitel's opinion.

He broke into the Earl's speech. "We detected a few of the Prince's agents in Vladivostok. Mind telling me about them? As a parting gift?"

"Then I advised Herr Lusser to keep faith and take the next flight to Britannia. We have an NGO for budding entrepreneurs at Vogue; His research isn't that good...three decades of failures are only worth so much, but it's not like there is anything better...Pardon?"

Keitel suppressed his anger and repeated his question.

The Earl waved off his concerns."They're nothing! Some of our M16 against the Federation...They're planning a strike on Kyushu in a few months. We're simply observing. Prince Schniezel looks upon it as a good experiment!"

"Experiment? What does that mean?" The Field Marshall narrowed his eyes. "I hope this isn't so kind of veiled warning about a new superweapon."

"Nothing like that!" From Kanon's expression, one could surmise that he'd been never been so insulted in his life. "It's purely a sociological experiment! Sociology is a hobby of His Highness. You must realize that one must crave for knowledge in all places and at all times...I see you don't agree with me! Too bad, Herr Keitel...Too bad..."

* * *

><p>"So, you're telling me that you've got mind control powers and are creating an army to wage civil war against your father. Very good!" Milly said in a curiously dead tone, "Are you going to confess that you're gay now?"<p>

"WHAT?" Lelouch yelled, "Have you been listening to anything I said?"

Milly grinned for a moment then her eyes hardened and she spoke in a serious voice, "Answer one question, Lelouch. This power of yours, have you ever used it on any of the students? Have you ever used it on me?"

Lelouch's voice faltered for a bit but then he said, "On the members currently in the school? No. I'm planning to use it on Nina, though."

"Why Nina? And how do you expect me to believe you?" Milly asked, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "You must've acquired it recently. That's why these battles started, didn't they? You've been enslaving the terrorists to fight for you!" Milly suddenly stopped, fearing that she'd angered Lelouch. She wouldn't have thought it to be possible-Lelouch didn't anger easily, _but what other secrets was he keeping from her?_

However Lelouch didn't become angry at all. In a sad and apologetic voice he said, "My power works only once. If you wish I can test it upon anyone." He took a deep breath and continued, "You're right, Milly. I first used this power in Shinjuku, but I didn't enslave the terrorists! I didn't even use it once in today's battle! Well, only once- to get some vital equipment; but I've been trying to fight without stealing anyone's free will!"

"I don't believe you at all!" Milly said, her eyes filling with tears yet again. She cursed herself for being so weak; what had happened to the self-contained, confident girl who had been planning parties and enjoying with her friends only a day ago? Was she so weak that a few words by her friend and her grandfather could break her resolve completely? She noticed that Lelouch was no longer looking at her face and with a savage sense of glee, understood that he was finding their conversation as draining as she was finding it to be.

"What about Nina?"

Lelouch gulped and went on in a strange voice, "You see that funny project she's always working on?" He went on when Milly nodded. "It can be used as an alternate form of energy but basically it is simply a gigantic, cheap bomb. I've been trying to divert her attention from that thing; giving her other things to design...less harmful weapons and projects. But you know how Nina is! Sooner or Later, the nuclear weapon would be ready! She'll give the Empire the bomb when it's ready and I can't fight against Charles if he has both Geass and Nina's research!"

"Geass?"

"That's what this power is called."

Milly took a deep breath. She was having the sensation of being trapped in a huge rollercoaster. Her head hurt simply from listening to the horrible revelations. "What happened to my Grandfather? Why was he in pain?"

"I ordered him to feel pain whenever he tried to mention my visit. He got around it though...He and you know me best, after all!"

"Does Nunnally know of this...your power?"

"No, I haven't told her. I don't want her to know of it either, so please don't tell her; I request you!" His voice was scared; and Milly understood that not all members of the Royal family possessed Lelouch's powers. Nunnally, at any rate, didn't.

"And if I refuse, you'll force me to, won't you?" Milly asked, her voice trembling with grief and anger.

"No."

Milly got up from her chair. She asked Lelouch one last question, "I know I don't have the right to question Royalty's decisions so I can't say anything about the assassination. But you said that you didn't want to enslave people like the Emperor. Can he do this as well?"

"He has Geass. So do many of his servants and Knights. He has an entire organization for developing such human weapons."

She nodded weakly and walked towards the door. She cast one last look at Lelouch, sitting silently at the table- his head in his hands, and for a moment, wished she'd never gone to her grandfather's office a second time. She took a deep breath and felt a curious sense of cold grow within her lungs. "I'm grateful for your help, Lelouch...but I never wanted things to turn out like they did. I'm sorry. I won't betray you, Lelouch but I can't trust you anymore even if I want to. I'm...I'm not a strong person, Lelouch...not strong enough. I hope...you never forgive me."

Milly closed the door.

* * *

><p><strong>Part of this chapter was influenced by a very good article in the NGC a few months back...<strong>

**I realize it is a bit cheesy and stupid at places; But I felt the events to be the most logical. What bugs me a lot is that Milly, Nunnally, Rivalz never realized that Lelouch was Zero...Milly at least could've guessed it easily. He seems to be pretty complacent where friends are involved.**

**Besides, can anyone answer one of my questions? Where the hell are the other princes and princesses? Dead? Assassinated? Exiled?**

**From the way Cornelia and Schniezel talk, Lelouch was probably one of the most important assets for the Royal family! And then, you have the matter of Karine and Nunnally's ages...Where 80 odd Princesses born in 2 years? **

**I guess their ranks were demoted or something...Frankly, the series doesn't explain it well.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Late again...Sorry for the delay.**

**It's Bird flu season out here and I'm finding that writing isn't as much fun as it is when I'm fuelling it with chicken momos from the nearby roadside stall. In any case, I've had enough of all the white-clothed Hazmat people roaming around and the (lack of) crows in the skies. Fortunately, no cases have been reported among humans...Lucky...till now.**

**Fimbu1vetr I suppose that CGverse might lack a true jet engine; They might be using a pulse jet or something...It was what the Nazis used in their Vs and they're damn good when properly managed. However, Pulse Jet systems aren't the best choice in modern warfare-reason why these remain the domain of experimental and reconnaissance. As for guided missiles? The field came into maturity in our world during WW2...In CGverse, no WW2, no Guided systems. As for what the Sieg and the Mordred use, I don't think they're guided; so many missiles are probably for hit-or-miss stuff.**

**I've still no explanation for the tanks or the crazy harem of Charles...I've decided to go with a bastardization of the Seljuk system. Though I'm sure, Alp Arslan will be spinning in his grave if he ever hears of this madness.**

**On with this week's Othir's rants...**

**Religion. Or the lack of it in CGverse.**

**One of the biggest problems Writers face these days is opposition from every single tinpot fundamentalist who has managed to distinguish a book from a cap...A few days ago, we had Salman Rushdie hounded out from India because of some crazy fatwa passed twenty years ago by a guy who probably hasn't even read the book in question. The way I saw it; the 'Satanic Verses' is more of an allegory about modern India-Pakistan relations than anything else...Heaven knows where the Great Ayatollah got his facts. As Eco has said-"The greatest proof of the presence of the devil is the desire of men to believe in him." I'm not an atheist but frankly, Dawkins and Condell do have a few points...**

**It's not surprising that the producers decided to forgo religion completely, though it's undeniable that loss of British suzerainty over most of Asia and Africa in the aftermath of the Napoleonic wars would have lead to every single preacher worth his salt starting his own nonsense. I can very well imagine the Mahdi rebellion occurring ahead of schedule in Sudan and growing Islamic and Hindu radicalism-which makes it obvious that the racial and religious make-up of the CGverse Old World is completely different from our world. I also suspect that Central Asia and India are completely different from the way we know them. Catholicism seems to be practically extinct in Britannia (as it ought to be after Napoleon's invasion of Britain.) We're looking at something like 200 years of the Albigensian crusade; with the holy words of its patron saint, Archbishop Arnaud Amaury-"Kill them all, God will choose his own..." If religion has been stamped out in CGverse, It only means that the two centuries after Napoleon were marked by genocides beyond anything our Earth has seen. **

**Saturday Morning Entertainment for kids, Friends!**

**I own nothing except my (sick) imagination.**

* * *

><p>"Karen! Wait for me!"yelled Shirley as she ran after the girl.<p>

"What is it," asked Karen. The two of them were coming from a Student Council meeting over welcoming Arthur, Suzaku's cat. It was a silly thing to get excited over, but Karen had found herself enjoying the company of her Britannian friends these days. Unfortunately, it appeared that Milly had quarrelled with Lelouch over something and the two were refusing to talk with each other. Well to be perfectly honest, it was Lelouch who was refusing to talk; Milly simply sat in the corner avoiding the questions Shirley asked her and avoiding meeting Lelouch's eyes.

Shirley caught up with her. "What do you think is the matter with Lulu and Milly? I haven't seen any of them behaving like this in all my time at Ashford. Do you think we should do something?"

Karen wasn't particularly concerned. It was just a simple quarrel; it wasn't as if there were people shooting at the two. She replied, "I think it's just a misunderstanding; It'll blow over soon. Can you imagine the President keeping quiet if she gets the chance to play a prank?"

Her friend laughed, "That's true but it's kind of strange. Before Suzaku arrived, I believed that Milly was Lelouch's best friend. They've known each other all their life. None of us can't even imagine them arguing over anything! Did you know that they were probably the first civilians to settle in Area 11?"

"No. I knew about the Ashfords, of course; but this is the first time I'm hearing about Lelouch."

"Lelouch was here from before the war; even I didn't know about it until yesterday. Suzaku told me." Suddenly, Shirley turned towards her, "Please don't ask him anything about his past, Karen. I think I understand why he doesn't want to talk about it."

'_Lelouch was here during the war? But the time was hell for any Britannian civilians in Japan!'_ thought Karen. With a pang of guilt, she remembered Nunnally. _'Did we do that to her?'_

"Um...Karen, "Shirley's voice broke into her thoughts. "What do we do about Lelouch and Milly?"

"I believe we should leave them alone for the time being. If they're such close friends, they'll make up soon."

Shirley didn't seem convinced but left the matter at that. After some time, she started in a conspiratory whisper, "Do you want to come with us to Kawaguchi this Sunday? We bounced the idea to Milly but Lelouch shot it down. He actually accused us of ignoring our duties in the Council and she didn't even protest! It's not as if we have much work to do for our celebration! He was practically insisting that we stay at school!"

Karen was tempted but Zero had organized a meeting on that day."I'm sorry, Shirley, but I have some work to do that day. Why don't you take Rivalz and the rest?"

"Lulu will kill me if I take Nunnally anywhere against his wishes," Shirley said with a laugh, "I'll ask Rivalz. Suzaku has his job at the army- I don't think he'll be free but I'll try."

* * *

><p>Karen didn't believe in fate, but the situation could make her swear otherwise. Zero had surprised them all by arranging for a massive mobile base and introduced them to Izumi, the leader of the Fierce Yamato. He had told them his plans for creating a force to liberate Japan. Karen got the impression that he didn't trust Izumi as much as he trusted the Shinjuku resistance- Izumi appeared to have no idea that Zero was Britannian. Inoue had tried to bring up the issue but Ougi had stopped her. Karen wasn't surprised; an open-minded and trusting leader like Ougi-san, wouldn't betray the trust of a person who'd helped him once, even if said person was Britannian.<p>

The government had suppressed all news about Saitama, but that hadn't prevented the news from being common knowledge all over Japan by the next day. Zero had not only successfully outwitted and defeated Britannia's greatest general, but had also managed to do it without losing a single fighter or civilian. There was word on the streets that the entire Seventh army had been destroyed and Cornelia had been forced to order shipments from the Britannian Motherland.

Saitama hadn't been a paradigm shift like Shinjuku; the media blanket ensured that, but the resistance had been more efficient and achieved good results against a greater foe. Karen had been worried that Zero might change his favourites but he still seemed to have greater respect for Naoto's old group- something that pleased Karen. Izumi wasn't even given a position among what Tamaki jokingly referred to as the 'Executive Council'.

The festive cheer had disappeared when Yoshida switched the TV and Karen recognized Shirley and Nina among the hostages. There had great confusion among the terrorists regarding what to do while Zero vanished into his room where they heard him shouting over the phone. Tamaki had just finished stating his reasons why they should attack the Britannians and help the JLF when Zero had returned.

"Ready yourselves! We're going to fight!" Zero had announced.

"Yeah! We're going to kick Britannian ass again...," Tamaki had cheered.

"We're not. Our target is the JLF. I'm going to kill Kusakabe for his actions."

The speech he had made then hadn't been one of his better ones but it had done the trick. They had found themselves travelling to Kawaguchi, to save a Britannian princess of all things, where Zero performed another small miracle by getting Cornelia to let them pass unharmed. Less than 24 hours after refusing to accompany Shirley on her trip, Karen found herself in the very place.

Karen edged closer to Zero and asked, "Are you sure you want to meet Colonel Kusakabe alone? You're unarmed and frankly, I don't see how we're going to pull this off. And what do we do with the Princess? Even if we save her, her sister isn't going to let us go easily."

"Don't worry, Karen. Everything will go well. I will get the troops to stand down."

* * *

><p>Cornelia finished listening to the recording. Then she flipped it and played again. In the privacy of her Gloucester cockpit, she had been repeatedly viewing the little interview she had concluded with Zero a few minutes previously.<p>

The third Princess wasn't a fool; she was well aware of her sister's little acts of rebellion and permitted them. Euphy was an intelligent, curious girl and stifling her in layers of security wasn't something Cornelia wanted to do. When Euphy had set out for her trip to Kawaguchi, she had had no idea that the Viceroy had already checked all the principal hotels and roads for danger and kept a division at standby at Katsuyama, just in case.

The JLF shouldn't have been able to enter the city in normal conditions but with all the dignitaries visiting Kawaguchiko because of the conference, even the Seventh army had been hard-pressed to maintain a proper security cordon around the area. The matters had been complicated by the large number of Britannian tourists vacationing at the many lake resorts in the town.

Kusakabe appeared to have planned the entire operation with great detail. He had hijacked three yachts owned by Britannian vacationers and after killing the unfortunate people, had simply called in the boathouse of the Kawaguchiko Convention hotel. One of his aides had been educated at Cambridge in the Republic of Angleterre; the fools at Hotel security had been convinced by the accent.

Cornelia had almost collapsed with shock and fear when she'd heard the news of the hotel jacking. She couldn't bear the thought of losing another sibling- her own sister- in the accursed land of Area 11. Guilford and Darlton had helped her, convinced her to think rationally and not simply agree to the terrorists' demands. They had been finalizing plans for a combined assault on the hotel by air, water and tunnel when he'd appeared.

It was the first time she had seen the enigmatic figure personally- Zero was not only a mere terrorist, he was the only person to have assassinated one of His Majesty's children. He had spat on the might of the Holy Britannian Empire and ridiculed her at Saitama.

As Cornelia had glared at the masked man, she could barely keep herself from taking her bladegun and shooting him in the centre of the mask. The terrorist hadn't deigned to answer a single one of her questions. For a moment, Cornelia was reminded of another series of futile interrogations many years ago in Pendragon...

Then Zero had spoken about Euphemia.

"Whom will you choose, Cornelia? The dead Clovis or the living Euphy?"

Cornelia hadn't been able to stop her gasp of surprise at hearing Euphy's name. Somehow, Zero had ascertained the fact that Euphy was among the hostages as well. She had tried to bluster her way through his statements but then he had declared.

"I will save her! I can save her!"

The Witch of Britannia wasn't a title Cornelia had obtained by being wilful and emotional...Her reputation as a shrewd tactician and reasoned had served her well in her six years in His Majesty's Imperial Seventh army. In any case, the logical option in this case would've been to apprehend Zero on the spot but she had hesitated...Euphy was too important. She had already lost three siblings; losing one more would probably break her.

As Zero's vehicle had rolled past her, she'd shot a final question at his back. "Why would you want to save her? You're a terrorist!"

The answer had been short and strange- "I have to repent."

* * *

><p>Lelouch entered the command room where Kusakabe waited with his guards. <em>'Bloodthirsty barbarians.'<em>

He stood before everybody and announced, "No doubt, you want to know who I am, don't you? Very well, you get your last wish!"

He removed his helmet." BECOME MY SLAVES! OBEY ME!"

* * *

><p>Euphemia was scared but was determined not to let it show. She had snuck out of the Viceroy's palace, desiring to see Japan's main economy and trade fair. It had been hard work convincing her guards to let her go incognito but if Cornelia had learnt of her plans, she'd have probably sent the army to occupy the hotel to ensure her sister's safety.<p>

It had come as a shock when they had heard Kusakabe's voice over the speakers ordering them to assemble at the lobby. Her guards had wanted her to hide while they distracted the terrorists, but their hiding place was discovered in a short while and the three were bundled off into one of the storage rooms.

The JLF soldiers had been quiet at first but as time had passed, tempers had worsened until they started abusing the Britannian hostages at the drop of a hat. Euphemia had no illusions why her sister was holding her hand. She also knew that revealing her identity would be the worst thing to do at the point. The hotel jacking had obviously been done because the JLF was being upstaged by Zero and the Colonel would obviously jump at the chance to kill a Royal.

Zero was an enigma. He had appeared from nowhere at Shinjuku. Euphemia had read almost every report filed on Shinjuku while researching Suzaku's case. The Britannian army had been winning against the terrorists until a supply train had been attacked in the outskirts of the ghetto and the terrorists got their hands on a dozen Sutherlands. Lead by Zero, they'd decimated the Third division of the Eleventh army. Her late brother had ordered the Lancelot to head out in desperation; but Suzaku had been shot prior to engagement and Zero had somehow known of the Envoy's machine.

The Lancelot was nearly destroyed in a massive bobby trap and Suzaku had barely escaped with his life. While heavily injured, he had fought and destroyed the terrorist Knightmare present there. Clovis had been killed minutes later.

The racism and political manoeuvring in Suzaku's trial had galled Euphemia- especially when she'd realized what a wonderful person Suzaku was. Of course he hadn't realized who she was at the time. Two days later, he'd approached her when she was talking with Dr Asplund, stammering and nearly apoplectic with fear, and apologized for 'behaving rudely with Her Highness'-though Euphemia couldn't remember him giving 'Euphy' anything less than the highest respect and courtesy.

Suzaku didn't know anything about Zero. After Zero had brought him to safety, he'd told the confused soldier that he didn't save him to draft him into his organization, but to correct his own sins. He hadn't spoken much but had wished Suzaku well when the two had parted.

She had been scared for her sister when she had discussed her plans for Saitama at dinner with her and Mr Guilford and General Darlton. It seemed to be extremely reckless and arrogant, not to mention all the lives she'd be taking without any provocation on part of the Japanese. Her fear shad come true when Zero, in a display of tactical genius that rivalled even Schniezel, had destroyed Cornelia's famed army and nearly killed Guilford. Cornelia had come home with a temper that day, nearly scaring a maid into hysterics.

Guilford had come into their chambers after supper. He had told them, "The...gifts Zero left for the two of you aren't poisoned or anything; I will leave them...here"

"Thank you, Guilford. You may leave now," Cornelia had said in an icily quiet voice.

The moment after Guilford closed the door, her sister had emptied all six barrels of her gun into the parcel.

Euphemia had managed to save the greeting card. It had been a very expensive one, made to order, though they hadn't been able to find any records of the thing. Cornelia had spent most of dinner muttering about renegade generals and the European Union. Euphemia personally agreed with Darlton's analysis- a Britannian with a grudge against the Royal family. But there were so many! Nobles, former soldiers, renegade assassins, common civilians_...even princes_.

They had just reached the room where Kusakabe had set up his command centre when the Colonels voice came over the Hotel intercom, "All JLF soldiers! We've been ordered by General Katase to hand over the hostages and control of the Hotel to Zero's reinforcements and escape through the yacht they've arranged. The hotel is to be blown up as a symbol of Japan's pride. I repeat, hand over control and assemble at the dock."

Puzzled, one of the soldiers knocked on the door. Kusakabe had opened the door himself. The room smelled of blood, but the Colonel appeared to be calm. He ordered, "Hand over your guns."

The soldiers escorting Euphemia were alarmed at Kusakabe's manner but reluctantly handed over their rifles. The moment all three of them had done so; Kusakabe was shot in the back of his head. The three soldiers, unarmed and helpless, could only look on as the masked man gunned them down. Euphemia felt something warm splash onto her face..._Blood._

"Come in, Your Excellency, and please close the door, will you? Ah, thank you! Red is a wonderful colour, isn't it? Though, I don't think it looks good on you at all."

* * *

><p>The far-end of the room resembled a slaughter house. Bodies had been carelessly piled on the carpet. None of it seemed to bother Zero as he produced a box of chocolates from a bag by his side. "I don't think Princess Cornelia was much interested in practicing basic courtesy after Saitama. I hope you'll accept this little gift of mine."<p>

"Why did you help me?"Euphemia asked as she took the box from his hands.

"Odd. I never figured that you were the suicidal sort. You would've preferred if I hadn't?" Zero asked, in what appeared to be a genuinely puzzled tone.

"No, It's not like that..."

"Then isn't there something you should say?"

Euphemia couldn't understand what Zero was driving at. He wasn't as tall as the reports had made him out to be, but the coldness and menace emanating from the mask was almost palpable. The young princess could easily understand why the man fascinated everyone in Japan.

She hesitantly said, "Thank you. But why did you help me...You are going to help me, aren't you?"

"I'm hurt that you doubt my intentions. Are you worried I'm going to assassinate you like Clovis?" Zero chuckled at the look on Euphemia's face, "I'm not going to hurt you. In fact I'll guard you personally if you like."

Euphemia replied in a heated tone, "Then what was wrong with Clovis? He wasn't a bad person! Why mercy for me and none for him? Did he deserve to die simply because he lacked the power to get away? To fight back?"

Zero didn't appear to have heard her at first. He was staring into the distance and minutes passed before he spoke, "Clovis? He had the power and he abused it! Do you even know what he did, Princess Euphemia?"

"Terrorists...they stole poison gas and..."

Zero interrupted her in a cold voice. "They stole an experiment. Clovis was doing human experimentation and he didn't want the subject to go public. That was your brother! Murderer, Liar...and a genius. Did your sister tell you about the civilians he ordered to be killed? Do you even understand what 'liquidate' means?"

Euphemia had read the reports...But she hadn't wanted to believe it; Even after going to Shinjuku ghetto with Suzaku, she hadn't believed any of it. And then, she had realized that Suzaku had no idea of what actually happened either...

With a chill, she understood what Zero implied. If he wasn't going to kill her...She would probably become their hostage, a bargaining chip to be tossed around. And Zero would get even more leverage against Cornelia.

Zero seemed to sense her fear but his reaction was completely different from what Euphemia expected it to be. His right hand rose; It was shaking and Zero held it out to her, as if asking her to hold it. In a choked voice, he said, "I'm sorry...Euphy...I..."

Then, before she could react to his odd actions, he turned away from her. A news helicopter could be seen through the window.

"I'm truly despicable, aren't I?"

"Zero?"

"I'm not a hero; neither am I a leader...Sometimes, I doubt that I'm even human. Killing my friends, my enemies, everyone I swore to protect...Even now, and still, none of us will ever let go of their mad convictions...Cornelia, Schniezel, Me...I'm a sick, deplorable monster, aren't I, Euphy?"

"I don't know...But a world where being powerful is justice? I don't think that's right, is it?"

"That question...You should realize what you're asking for. Once I had asked a group of soldiers the same question...They didn't give the correct answer, so I killed them all. It was only much later that I realized that I hadn't known the answer either."

"You regret their deaths?"

"No. Strange, isn't it? I, who am both God and Demon, still possess the doubts of an ordinary human but yet take lives without regret or grief? I've fought and lied all my life to protect those precious to me; even though I am the very personification of all they hate. But then, where does that leave me?"

Zero stopped for a moment. Euphemia thought of interrupting him but didn't. It seemed like He'd forgotten about her completely. Zero began again, "My men follow me because they hope for a free Japan, I don't care about Japan at all; my best friend dreams of changing the world by peaceful means, I believe that world doesn't make sense unless you force it to." A bitter note came into voice. He told a stunned Euphemia, "I know about you too, Princess. It was very decent of you to help Kururugi. You believe that all people are equal- a very dangerous belief for one like you. I don't."

He turned towards her. "It was a very good speech the Emperor gave that day. I agree completely." He paused for a second as an explosion shook the hotel. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>Five minutes later, Zero appeared on the telescreens of the world.<p>

"To all Britannians, there is no need to panic. All the hostages in the Hotel, including sub-Viceroy Princess Euphemia li Britannia are safe. I shall return them to you.

People of the world! Fear us or seek us! We are...the order of the Black Knights. We, the Order of the Black Knights, are allies of all those who hold no weapons. Be it Elevens or Britannians. The Japanese Liberation Front used underhanded tactics, took Britannian civilians as hostage and killed them in cold blood. It was a meaningless action. Thus, we punished them! Clovis, the previous Viceroy was the same. He massacred Elevens who possessed no weapons. I can't stand to see these kinds of cruel acts and that's why I punished him. I don't like to fight but the strong taking advantage of the weak is unforgivable!

Only those who are prepared to be killed should be allowed to kill! When the powerful attack the powerless, we shall return. No matter how strong our foe is!

Those, with power, fear us. Those, without power, seek us. This corrupt World, which refuses to change, disgusts me. The world will change! I will change it!"

* * *

><p>"That son of yours is a menace! Are you sure We shouldn't send someone after him?"<p>

"Cornelia is there. She'll handle him."

"After what happened at Saitama? Admit it! Exiling the brat was stupid; We should have got rid of him when we had the chance! He has the most frightening Geass I can think of and also, he's the finest military strategist I've seen in my life and that includes you too. We should send Rolo just to be sure!"

"We're on the verge of war with the Union. I need that protégé of yours there. You know as well as me that the rest of the candidates are useless as assassins."

"But Lelouch? He'll kill Cornelia at this rate. What would you do then? Go there yourself? It's not like those kids of yours are any good at all!"

"We'll see what is to be done, brother. Don't discompose yourself. Whatever he does, it's not like he can affect our plans..."

* * *

><p>"The work on the Sutherland Sieg is going on well, Carrigan is an excellent worker once he puts his mind at something. There are doubts with the core design changes but until I avail the services of a top-notch designer, we'll have to make do. Renfield has infiltrated the Directorate. If all goes well, my biggest problem would be solved soon!"<p>

"But what about Her Highness? Surely, we can't ignore her!"

"I believe that you'll be able to present Bartley's corpse to Cornelia sometime next week. That'll help your standing in the military at any rate. Cornelia has managed to antagonize every notable commander and noble in the Eleventh army with her attitude. I won't be surprised if there are many who preferred the state of affairs under you," Lelouch said as he leaned back on his chair.

Jeremiah Gottwald nodded while he sipped his drink. Lelouch hadn't been able to stay in regular contact with him, but the geassed Mr Witherspoon, the Griffin's owner, had helped them in this regard. Lelouch had told the Margrave about Geass and its many users the day he had knighted him. Jeremiah had been sceptical until Lelouch had geassed him to write a love letter to Princess Cornelia. Lelouch had a good laugh while his Knight carefully tore the resulting piece of literature and burned the pieces.

While Jeremiah couldn't understand why Lelouch was being so frugal in his usage of geass, he agreed that it was better to take the time to build an army of volunteers rather than geassing everyone in sight. He didn't seem to even consider the fact that Lelouch might have geassed him to ensure his loyalty; The Prince suspected that the man had effectively gone insane after his mother's 'assassination' and was completely incapable of questioning the Vi Britannias.

"I should introduce you to Villetta Nu, my Lord. She was involved with the anti-refrain operations before becoming head of the Purists. Maybe she can help you in such work?" Jeremiah offered.

Lelouch mulled over this. Jeremiah, who had no idea of the future, didn't know of Villetta's true allegiance. She wasn't loyal to either the Empire or even any particular leader. The only thing she had seem interested in, in Lelouch's past lifetime, was her own happiness. The prince didn't blame her for that- She did what she did because she'd wished for a better future. "No need; this police business is getting good PR for Zero and it keeps the resistance out of my hair." He went on, "Reuben Ashford refused to join us, but at least he won't be betraying me. My inner circle remains limited to simply we two and CC. I do have someone in mind though."

"May I hear his name, my lord?"

Lelouch grinned, "Of course, you can. Tell me what do you know about ninjas?"

* * *

><p>Suzaku winced as Arthur clawed him on the back of his head. The feline seemed to consider him as his personal scratching post. As he gently freed himself from the cat's clutches, He wondered why Lelouch had been so reticent over the Kawaguchiko issue. He had barely offered any of his opinions over what was now, the most popular topic on campus. Suzaku had no doubt that the exiled Prince had pretty strong feelings in this regard, but getting him to share them would be impossible if the latter didn't want to.<p>

Still, the incident appeared to have repaired the bridges between him and the President. The first time Milly had seen Lelouch after the incident, she had almost crushed the poor boy's ribs with her hug, while apologising again and again. Lelouch seemed to be as surprised as the rest of them, and that patented smirk of his had been replaced by a genuine smile. Milly hadn't let go off Lelouch until she heard Suzaku crying with relief and joined Rivalz in tackling him to the ground.

Life was good.

"Oh? It's just you two?"said Shirley as she entered the room. Suzaku immediately got up. Both of them had discussed how to catch Lelouch on his own the other day and finally decided on a plan.

"I'll get back to the army then. Bye, Shirley," he said while winking to her.

Lelouch's voice came from where he sat, "You know Suzaku, you should consider quitting that bunch of idiots! Didn't you hear about Saitama the other day?"

Suzaku laughed, "That's good logic, but then that's the way I am! Bye, you two"

As the door closed, Suzaku's face fell. Saitama had been a complete disaster and discontent within the army was high. While Suzaku didn't want to think badly of Princess Cornelia, he couldn't help but feel that the Lancelot's presence could've saved a few lives. After Zero's appearance at Lake Kawaguchi, a journalist named Deithard Reid had tracked down some of the fighters at Saitama and released an article detailing the scale of catastrophe.

Princess Cornelia had come under criticism from several nobles and military think-tanks for her strategy. Many had been critical of the fact that she'd practically handed over 15 Sutherlands to the terrorists when Entire army divisions in Area 11 were being scrapped for lack of equipment. The first Princess had said in an interview-"It's refreshing to know that the Empire's most celebrated soldier is fighting against Zero; But I believe Britannia will be better served if Princess Cornelia stops antagonizing the local populace with her antics and starts winning against the terrorists!"

The Purists had been regaining influence in the aftermath of the battle. Unlike Cornelia's troops, they had years of experience in fighting insurgencies in Area 11. Jeremiah Gottwald, during his tenure as Purist leader, had kept the Britannian settlement free from any kind of terrorist activity. It was said that the mere presence of the Purists had been enough to ensure that the JLF stayed away from Tokyo. Suzaku personally didn't have much love for the Purists- not because of how they'd treated him but because they had been willing to sacrifice justice and law for political power. But he didn't hate them. Jeremiah Gottwald had approached him at work a few days back; the Margrave had apologized to the stunned Warrant Officer and asked for forgiveness. There was no way he could bear a silly grudge against someone after they'd repented for their mistakes.

There were many nobles who'd pointed out that in Shinjuku; conditions had deteriorated only after all three Purist leaders were defeated almost simultaneously. While it was true that they'd let Zero escape on his first public appearance, they'd tried their best and there was no way that they could've predicted that a VTOL would be used. _'I'm glad they lost that round against Zero,'_ thought Suzaku with a rueful smile.

With most of Area 11's nobles against her, one would've expected Princess Cornelia to back down and make concessions but instead, she'd restructured the army- abolishing infantry regiments and mechanizing almost everything. She'd ordered almost fifty new Knightmares and given the Special Envoys blanket permission to accompany her, but not to fight. Lloyd-san had been ecstatic that day. He'd actually pirouetted and sung,"_Hurray! When Zero defeats her in the next battle, we'll able to launch the Lancelot_." It wouldn't have been a big deal ordinarily, but he'd said the words in front of General Darlton who'd come to give the message. Thank God, the general had simply glared at Lloyd before going away.

Suddenly, Suzaku heard a shriek from the room he'd just exited. He ran back to find Lelouch taking the pulse of an unconscious Shirley. He asked in a worried tone, "What happened, Lelouch?"

"I've no idea! I simply said yes when she asked if I could come to the Opera with her next week."Lelouch replied while shaking his head.

* * *

><p>Karen gritted her teeth as she watched five Britannian youths beat up a Japanese vendor in broad daylight. While there were plenty of Honorary Britannians at the place, expecting them to protest was stupid- they'd bowed once, they'd do so again. She started to walk towards them, when someone stopped her.<p>

"There are five of them. You can't win, can you?"said Lelouch.

"You expect me to leave them alone?" Karen gasped. '_Surely he isn't that insensitive!'_

Lelouch looked towards the men and started, "Take a good look at the Eleven. Go ahead and help him; He won't be able to do business here anymore if you do. He has chosen to be a slave, respect his decision."

A corner of her mind did agree with Lelouch but Karen quashed it down. She started to protest when the Britannian punks noticed them and started advancing on to them. Karen barely heard what they were saying as she clenched her fists. Surely, they won't hit a girl? But, what did that mean for Lelouch? Despite his attitude, he wasn't a bad person.

Lelouch started speaking, "That's nonsense! How can we consider something like that! But you guys must be bored, right? Bullying the Elevens? Why don't you try attacking the police for a change?"

To Karen's surprise, the only thing one of them said before the group sauntered away was-"Yes, Your Highness!"

"I guess they're the kind who get easily distracted."Lelouch opined.

* * *

><p>The ice-cream she was eating felt like ash. The encounter with that Vendor still rankled in Karen's mind. The man had barely seen her uniform, when he'd started apologizing to her for being unmindful and asking whether she'd like to eat. She'd sat there, almost paralyzed, before Lelouch had thrust an ice-cream into her hands and dragged her from the place.<p>

As she sat there on the bench, she wondered about Japan's loss and colonization. In a way, Japan's loss hadn't mattered at all. It was the loss of the Japanese that made all the difference. Britannia's policy of labelling her colonies "Numbers" made perfect sense in this regard. She asked Lelouch, "What do you think of the Areas, Lelouch? Is it right for us to take their names away?"

Lelouch was staring at his ice-cream. It was melting rapidly and he hadn't seemed to have taken a single bite. She realized with a jolt that it'd been the most expensive one on the Vending cart's display. Despite his aloof manner, he'd helped the Vendor more than she had. '_As Stadfeld, but still...'_

Lelouch dropped the ice-cream cone and started talking, "Do you know that the Britannian motherland is actually called 'Area 1'? They don't refer to it as such these days- reminds them too much of the English isles. They had a different Area 2 then. India. At least until the Maratha nobles defeated them with French help and established the confederacy. That's when Quebec was conquered. Funny, isn't it? We Britannians call them numbers but we're all ones and twos in the end."

"Yes, but you didn't answer me," Karen was confused. What did Lelouch mean by that history lesson?

"It's the way of life, Karen. Elevens bow down to us. We bow down to the Emperor. They're weaker than us, so we exploit them. That's the truth of this World."

Karen couldn't believe what Lelouch was saying. She'd considered Lelouch to be a typical Britannian when she'd met him but as the days passed, her opinion about the boy had changed- mostly due to Shirley and the rest of the Council. After he'd declared that Suzaku was his best friend, she'd felt that maybe the boy had hidden depths to his cold exterior.

But hearing him say those words, she lost control and slapped him. "You think yourself cool, don't you? Looking down upon the world! What makes you different from those punks?" She glared at the Vice-President.

Strangely, the bastard was smiling. His smirk was back and He looked amused. Looking at Karen, he said, "That was nostalgic, you know? If you feel so strongly about Britannia's Imperialism, surely you can answer a question of mine!" Seeing Karen's curious face, he continued, "Why do you think the Royal family rules half of this world? What do you think you think is required to command others? To rule people, nations, the world? Is it justice? Mercy?"

He got up from his seat."Think about what I asked, Karen. Tell me what you think and I'll tell you who you are!" He finished coldly and walked away.

* * *

><p>"What was it you said?"<p>

CC smiled as she looked at the boy lying beside her, "I said that false tears hurt others but a false smile will only hurt oneself. Don't you agree?"

Lelouch stared up to the ceiling. They had attacked a Refrain distribution centre that day; Lelouch's knowledge of the past had enabled the Black Knights to effectively target suppliers and distributors. It was at one of such small supply points that they'd found Karen's mother. From her behaviour, it was plain that she had been an addict for months.

The first time around, Lelouch hadn't taken much attention in his subordinates' personal affairs- a fact that had bitten him on the ass when Villetta had teamed up with Schniezel to capture him. He was aware that most of his Black Knights had joined up because they'd lost someone dear...And as he had done with Milly, Lelouch had ignored them. He had justified his actions at that time, and the reasons had been valid too- he didn't have the resources, the time, the will to micromanage every little thing.

But Karen wasn't everyone! She wasn't simply a pawn for him to use, she was his Ace, his Queen. He should've helped her but he'd dismissed her grief then.

He replied to CC's words, "Your smile...It isn't fake, is it?"

"I haven't smiled in a while," came the passive response.

They lay in silence for a while. Lelouch was thinking whether CC had fallen asleep when the immortal spoke.

"Carrigan called in the evening; He said that Nina had approached him about asking whether Princess Euphemia would be interested in your project. Apparently, the development is ahead of schedule and she feels that you would find it easy to meet with the Princess with your contacts among the nobility."

Lelouch lifted an eyebrow. "I didn't expect her to be so forward! Surely, she hasn't forgotten that I'm keeping things secret until everything's complete."

"Yes, but you know how she was in our past life, do you?"

"True," observed Lelouch and after thinking for a moment said, "Tell Carrigan to play along. With any luck, I can exploit her attraction towards Euphy. Nina practically worships me now that I've promised to sponsor Freya. Her grandfather was a famed weapons designer; it will be wonderful if she's able to complete the Iseult."

CC laughed, "Controlling people without your geass! You're truly a monster, you know!"

"Says the witch!"

"Touché!" exclaimed CC as she hugged Cheesekun tighter. "Hey, If you're making the Iseult for me, then what is Orange-boy going to use? Is the cannon meant for him?"

"No! Jeremiah is a melee fighter; and the cannon will be too difficult to fire for him. I was thinking of rushing the construction of the type-X-Beta by reducing the size and basing the thing on existing Sutherlands...but I fear it'll be days before the weapons are ready. You said that the Cannon was ahead of schedule, didn't you?"

"Yes, Carrigan says that the Camlann would be ready in two months- if the FLOAT system is provided."

"I see," Lelouch mused but was almost thrown out of the bed when he turned to ask CC another question. The girl was grinning; and in response to Lelouch's scowl, said, "What? I'm tired and I want to sleep! You really should shut up."

* * *

><p>Renfield ignored the greetings of his colleagues in the Geass Directorate. The fools had ignored the call of His Lord and the Lady CC. To ignore was to sin, to offend was to blaspheme. Lord Lelouch Vi Britannia was bliss and Renfield couldn't understand why the other researchers couldn't see the obvious.<p>

Entering the Directorate had been easy; the researcher had simply entered the Chinese Federation as a tourist and made his way to the famous ruins of Shiahir Bakhtiyar in the Tengger desert. There, he had contacted one of Britannia's several Uighur agents and after ditching the Federation spies on his tail, the two had made their way to the Directorate.

The Geass Directorate, despite the pretensions of its current overlord, wasn't a military organization. Generations of the world's greatest minds had thronged the lanes and alleys of Directorate, seeking to understand the mysteries of existence. The Directorate had been the source of several of the greatest Human inventions- RADAR, The Internet, Telephones...even electricity. The Britannian Geass Protocol had little information about the Directorate itself, and the researchers themselves knew precious more.

The Earliest records of the Directorate dated back to the Late Roman Republic when a young Marcus Agrippa established a college 'east of Adige.' Since then, records of the Directorate had turned up throughout History, like the detritus of a lost continent. The Directorate became the ultimate nirvana for scholars- Millions read, searched and lusted for the location of the Directorate. Only a few were able to enter. The Directorate accepted all without any form of discrimination. European, Asian, Egyptian- the wandering metropolis of Geass had become the first cosmopolitan city of the world.

In a sense, the biggest asset as well the greatest liability of these intrepid researchers was the same- the Code...or rather, the Human who possessed it. The curse of immortality plagued its bearer in many ways; and most had as much desire to be worshipped as to be crucified. CC, especially, had little love or patience for her many devotees.

Many in the higher hierarchy of the Directorate knew of the tragic story of the White Lady and the Nun. The myth had spread all over the world in the seven hundred years the former had, reluctantly, led the Organization. The Geass Directorate had been content to function like this, a rudderless ship led by an absent captain.

The Blood Emblem changed all that. Lady CC had returned to them after a hundred years of absence, with a young boy in tow. With them had come the new Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and His two Royal Knights. The Geass Directorate was never the same again.

Renfield sauntered into the archives section, no one challenged him- an Ark of the Third had complete right of access everywhere and the Protocol would always be hesitant to interfere with Lady CC's children. The spy sped through the records, rapidly copying and sending them to a secure system thousand miles away. He finished the job quickly and without incident- few people still lived in the City, most now worked in Pendragon.

His task over, Renfield walked down to the recycling plants. Britannia had installed new equipment after taking over. Most Directorate researchers had found the Briton's penchant for cleanliness funny; Renfield had found it funny too...Now, he didn't feel. He took out a wad of plastic explosive from his coat pocket and made his way over to a methane tank. He thought of his wife and two children for a single moment, and then Geass roared back into his mind.

Thirty men and women- some of the World's finest- died.

* * *

><p>Jeremiah Gottwald had been Brigadier and Leader of the Purists. He was now an ordinary major and had resigned from the Purist Chairmanship in disgrace. He couldn't have been happier with his lot in life!<p>

He would gladly have sacrificed his title and lands if that would've brought him one step closer to finding his beloved Empress' children. But he didn't have to move even a muscle! Lord Lelouch had sought him out. _And knighted him_. The Prince had carefully researched the actions of every guard on duty that day in Aries villa and determined that Jeremiah was the least suspicious. Also it appeared that Lady Marianne had praised Jeremiah in private a few times and his Lord had a long memory.

Jeremiah had been astonished that at the resistance the Elevens had put up at Shinjuku. Of course, they'd been led by a Britannian mind- the very best. The Elevens were useless but at least they'd provide warm bodies for the cause. The Kururugi incident had been 'helped along', but Jeremiah was sure he'd never been able to stop Zero anyway- who expected a VTOL in the hands of the Elevens?

No, Lord Lelouch would've simply geassed him and done with it. The power of his eyes was stupendous. What was even more amazing was that the Prince didn't to seem to need it at all! Jeremiah could hardly believe his eyes when the battle of Saitama was fought. He and the other Purists had watched, speechless, as the ghetto became a graveyard for the first and second divisions of the Seventh army. Everything- the plans, the layouts had been secret till the last moment. Jeremiah had been scared when Cornelia had ordered the pilots to show their faces- but his worries were groundless; his Lord had predicted it.

He didn't need magic tricks to fulfil his goals_. He was Magic!_

He wondered how the world would've been if his empress hadn't been murdered...How long would his prince have taken to conquer the world? Five years? Three? One?

"Kouzuki?" He frowned at the question. "I executed a terrorist few months back of that name."

His lord replied, "That was this woman's son. Her daughter is one of my subordinates- 'Zero's ace'; You know her, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, sir. I think that the Superintendent does owe me a favour. But it'll be easier to simply report a death at the hospital and admit her at a private clinic somewhere else- I think Ryuku Islands or Kyoto- they're like the wild west. Should I handle it?"

"No, I'll simply geass them at the hospital and blackmail some noble into smuggling her out. I'm getting out of practice...You said the Superintendent is in your debt?"

"Yes, My lord"

"I may need someone captured- A Chinese named Mao. You think he can manage it?"

* * *

><p>No, really! You're too kind! Like I was telling Cecile, just because you're a traitor...YEOWW! I know! I know! It's not like I'm criticizing him...Yes, I'm grateful to you for all that clearance, Mr Orange. See, Cecile! He doesn't mind! Now, where was I?<p>

The Blaze Luminous is a truly awesome thing! Here, here...I insist! It's only a small model but if you want, I can scale it up for you. Anything for an old friend! If you eat Cecile's apple crumble for me, I'll also give you this Lancelot Plushie! She's coming back! Throw it! Throw it away, quick!

Ah! We were just praising your cooking, Cecile! Yes! I'm not lying at all...Of course, It'll be alright. If Lord Jeremiah gives us permission to use the Purist testing grounds, I don't see why anyone should have any complaints! Now, You haven't forgotten our fillers, have you? You're a sport!

Yup, they're for the FLOAT simulations. A few more weeks and the Lancelot will take wing! I'm calling it the Millennium Falcon! Isn't it...I'm joking! I'm joking! Anyway, weapon's designing is easy, Mr Orange. Anyone with a little bit for imagination can do it! If you're having problems with engineering, hire a technician! If you're having problems with the meals, fire the chef!

NO! I SWEAR IT WAS A METAPHOR! A METAPHOR!

* * *

><p><strong>I won't waste anyone's time by crying about the stupidity of Lelouch's friends-especially Karen-in the canon. Apparently, it's implied in canon that humans in CGverse lack a proper functioning brain-except Lelouch and the Britannian royal family (sic). As for Xingke? That guy isn't fight to run a barber shop.<strong>

**Stole a couple of lines from Hellsing. Credits due to them. Hahaha, let the grammar and Literature Nazis cry their hearts out! There's as much wisdom in Hirano as in Horace and as much knowledge of the world.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm back! And thank you! And sorry!**

**I haven't answered most of your queries in the reviews and I apologize for that. Friday is my weekly day of sin and my muse has to work overtime on that day to adjust for the rest of the week. But, I realize my mistakes and will try to give a reply to everybody from now on.**

**I've gone over my earlier rants and I apologize if I've hurt anyone's sentiments. My comments over religious fundamentalism and colonialism weren't directed at any particular category; and I've tried my best not to hurt anyone. Religious fundamentalism isn't anything unique to any particular cult or faith. You can find Christian fundamentalists and Buddhist extremists too, strange as the latter might sound...There's one called the LRA in Africa and they want to create a 'Christian' state-whatever the hell they mean by that. They have the usual gamut of 'religious' virtues- slavery, child-soldiers, bat-shit insanity. Fact is, most religious fundamentalists lack any basic idea about their own religions. I doubt that Bin Laden and Kony had any loyalty for their ideologies or any sincerity towards their respective faiths.**

**I will also appreciate it if such stuff is mentioned in the reviews instead of my mail-it'll reduce redundancy and repetition at any rate.**

**Genericrandom Thanks for the points. I will try to control the speed and pacing of the chapters from now on. I'm thinking of changing my frequency of posting-that'll give me a bit more time for clean-up and editing.**

**MisterSP Fighter planes might not refer to the jets we know; I felt that the Lancelot's speed was the primary reason for the surprise. The Brits may have had planes with some kind of Stirling engine or pulse-jet, though I doubt it.**

**Snipers are possible with rail guns-the Aussies have one. I remember reading an article in Sciam. Besides, I'm sure the rest of the world used ordinary guns. All hail the Kalashnikov-the World's most iconic weapon! (To hell with swords!)**

**Nobility in the feudal ages accounted for as much as 5% of the population (France). In Japan, it accounted for almost 12%. You must realize that the term 'Nobility' can include any dude with a bit of land larger than six square feet-smaller than that and you can't be buried in peace. Even today, the so-called 'Rich', as our leaders and Media are so fond of talking about, are about 5% of our World's population. **

**Kamiya There are mentions, but only in passing. Nothing concrete.**

**Othir will rant once more.**

**Code Geass has pretty funny ideas on terrorism as a whole. Britannia, or rather the producers, display attitudes towards the terrorists that are as funny as they are confusing. They act more like our World's Democratic leaders than anything else.**

**Despite everything written on psychology and economic ideas, the most basic idea of individual responsibility seems to be something beyond the grasp of most HR groups and anti-war lobbies. Love and Mercy and Ceasefires make for wonderful newsprint and cheery economic reviews-but they don't do the trick. Reason why America, and the rest of the World, is going to regret the withdrawal. Spectrum spent more time crying over how the Taliban were acting like the victors already, than it did describing Afghanistan's electric grid like it was supposed to.**

**Britannia seems to lack any power outside the Tokyo settlement. What the Japanese in CG possess, aren't terrorist groups; they're bloody freaking armies! Has anyone even considered the costs of supplying or outfitting something like those behemoths? And those Knightmare corps? The Black Knights must be having a balance sheet the size of Apple's. And the experienced, powerful Brits do absolutely nothing.**

**Apart from that, it's chilling to note how Lelouch managed to band the terrorists into an army...just like his counterparts have done in our world. The economic warfare hinted at in Code Geass, must be staggering in scale...more proof of Britannia's incompetency. **

**I don't own Code Geass. Or Star Wars. Or Moby Dick. Or Dr Jekyll etc etc.**

* * *

><p><em>...and though I'm still having problems with the language, Suzaku has been a great help. Turns out that we've been staying at his old playroom and that was the main reason for his previous, let's say, stupidity.<em>

_Do remember to thank Schniezel for me. No one, absolutely no one, has contacted us since that customs idiot received us at Tokyo Airport. Lady Sumeragi has informed me that Tokyo Embassy has been blocking our mails for months. If Maldini hadn't brought your letter, we'd never have come to know of the fact._

_I'm sure that you'll love Japan. It's much better than Pendragon's artificial gardens and all...They have something called the 'Flower-watching festival'; Suzaku tells us that it's great fun. The only thing I can think of when I see their Sakura trees is you. Books and Experiences are scant comfort at best; and I can only try to go with the flow of the times._

_It's ill to lose the bands that God decreed to bind;_

_Still will we be children of the heather and wind;_

_Far away from home, O it's still for you and me_

_That the broom is blowing bonnie in the north countrie._

_Do write immediately. There is no Post from this Place, so you must contact either Maldini or Schniezel for help. Try to keep Cornelia out of the loop please; It might put her in more problems._

_I know before night I shall curse myself for having sent you so cold a Letter; yet it is better to do it as much in my senses as possible. Be as kind as the distance will permit to me. I miss you a lot._

_Believe me to be, my dear Euphy,_

_Very sincerely yours,_

_LVB_

* * *

><p>Karen moved listlessly towards the door. The verdict given was for twenty years and her step-mother had been crowing about the fact since yesterday. She had never guessed that her mother could've been so sacrificing...She hadn't even noticed...<p>

As she opened the door, she spied a letter with her name on it lying on the porch. Alan Spacer. She didn't recognize the name of the sender; maybe it was one of her father's friends? She opened the letter and began to read it.

* * *

><p>"What's the long face for?" sang Milly as she sat down by Karen's side. The girl seemed worried- admittedly she had a hard life at home; However, Milly refused to give up. "Try me! I'm the local smile factory, ain't I?<p>

Karen seemed hesitant to tell her but finally spit it out, "Alan Spacer."

"Your new boyfriend's name?" Milly grinned.

Karen frowned and went on, "He's somebody who has...done a great service for me. But I haven't been able to find him at all. There are only three Alan Spacers in the Britannian settlement but none of them are whom I seek- one's just a child and the other two aren't wealthy or influential enough to manage what he did!"

"Alan Spacer? Why do you need Alan Spacer for?" asked Rivalz as he entered.

"That's right! Rivalz is our resident expert on Area 11's nobles!"She winked at Karen," Learns all their secrets after he has pumped them full of drink."

Karen turned to Rivalz and asked eagerly, "You know who he is?"

Rivalz seemed unsure and a bit apprehensive. He started slowly, "Maybe, he isn't the Alan Spacer you're looking for, Karen. It's actually bit of a secret."

"Enough of this secret agent business! Rivalz, Tell us," ordered the President.

"Very well," Rivalz gulped. "But he's going to kill me for this...Alan Spacer is the name Lelouch uses when he plays against the Mafia."

* * *

><p>"I would appreciate it if you didn't touch that!"<p>

Guilford turned, his fingers mere inches from the canvas, to find Lord Darlton entering the little studio. The General walked over to where he was standing and snapped at the terrified caretaker, "What's the problem with you? You allow any Tom, Dick and Harry to manhandle Prince Clovis' works?" He didn't bother listening to the latter's explanations though and instead, ordered the Palace guard to hurry up with their search. The Akatsuki had threatened to bomb the Viceregal palace the previous day and Guilford was overseeing the guards as they checked the chambers for hidden passages and explosives.

Guilford sheepishly told his friend, "I apologize for my actions, Lord Darlton. Please, don't be angry at the poor man. I insisted..."

"Don't talk like you don't know anything, Guilford! It's all because no one in Britannia has enough spine to stand upto nobility...Are they done?"

"Yes, for most part," the Knight replied. "The kitchens and the maintenance rooms in the basement are still left but Lord Karius has assured me that he will finish them before evening."

Guilford watched the guards file out of the room after completing their check. He waved off the caretaker when the latter brought tea for the two officers. If Darlton was in a bad mood, there was no use aggravating the situation.

The General hadn't noticed the incident. He was looking at the painting Guilford had been going to touch when he'd entered. He had a strange look in his eyes and as his friend looked on, the old soldier's right hand rose...and then, Darlton sensed that his actions were being observed and noted.

"I'm sorry!" He laughed. "I must seem like a damned hypocrite, right? Fact is, I've seldom seen any pictures of the Vi Britannias...Would you believe that I had almost forgotten what the Tenth Princess looked like?"

Guilford's brows narrowed. "You knew them? How come I've never heard you talking about the family?"

Darlton gestured for the caretaker and took the cup of tea the latter offered. He answered, "Lady Cornelia hadn't joined the Academy at the time. I had been told to tutor her by His Highness, Prince Schniezel..."

"He was the one who gave you your big break at Binh Gia, wasn't he?"

"He was too generous..."

Guilford grinned and clapped his friend on the back, almost spilling the General's tea. "As if none of us know the Legend of the first generation of Knightmare Commanders. You and Alexander and Patton. You were the idol of half my batch!"

"You make too much of it. What most don't realize is that if not for Earl Maldini's last-minute army reforms and Prince Schniezel's presence at Saigon; Area 10 would have never seen the light of the day. The situation there was terrible; most of the top-brass distrusted Knightmares, we lacked proper supplies, the Chinese and the Vietnamese outnumbered us. If Empress Marianne hadn't forced the divisions to incorporate Knightmare corps into their ranks, the machines would've remained the preserve of bodyguards and tournaments..."

"Prince Schniezel was at Saigon? I thought that the workload was too heavy to allow on-the-spot micromanagement! Who handled the basic strategy back home?"

"I don't know...Nobody was chosen as such but His Highness appeared to trust the planners completely. Maybe it was Montgomery or that bureaucrat protégée of his. He has family in Area Eleven, hasn't he?"

Guilford replied, "You're talking about good old Frank, aren't you? He was one of my seniors at Sandhurst. He does, but he's somewhere in the Arctic currently. Wouldn't it be beneficial for Princess Cornelia to meet his wife? Her support might be helpful!"

"Unnecessary," Darlton curtly said. He finished his tea and kept his cup on a nearby table. "I don't hold much truck with our typical nobility and whatever the man's virtues; I doubt that his family is any good. It's best that the Princesses stay away from them..."

"You're nobility yourself," Guilford said with a frown. "So am I and half our Knights!" He further protested, "I don't agree with you at all. And what's with kicking out the senators and nobles from the government? You do realize that we're losing valuable local knowledge and information!"

Darlton didn't reply for a long time. Finally, he slowly spoke. "Princess Cornelia wasn't always like she is now...The young princess I'd met that day at Aries Villa; carefree, trusting, innocent, she...died long ago."

Guilford's eyes hardened. He said grimly, "What are you talking about, Darlton? I've known her for years..."

"She's become too reckless," observed Darlton quietly. "Too uncaring and impatient in battle. In a sense, she has become a bit like His Highness."

"Prince Schniezel?"

"No," stated Darlton and tapped the canvas in front of them. "Prince Lelouch."

"You're joking, aren't you? His Highness is dead. He was a child for Heaven's sake!" said Guilford in an angry tone. Darlton's speech smacked of lèse-majesté to him and, coupled with his words about Lady Cornelia, were unforgivable.

Darlton hadn't noticed his companion's growing anger. "He was great at chess...But that's not the point. I remember meeting him sometime after the insurgencies started in North Vietnam. We had talked for hours that day...He was brilliant! Machiavelli, Chanakya, Sun Tzu, Robespierre- He'd read them all. And then, he literally advises me to go and commit genocide in Indo-China."

"So what? You didn't like his views on war? Darlton, books and opinions don't define generals!"

"He wasn't like Princess Karine!" Darlton interrupted him roughly. "He...He knew. He knew everything. From Patton's trademark clichés to local Montagnard customs to Prince Schniezel's manoeuvres. I tell you, Guilford; it was jarring! To go from meeting Princess Nunnally...to this young child sitting alone in the garden. He was barely nine at the time; and he spoke like he commanded the very armies of hell."

Guilford sighed. It was obvious why Darlton had been so disturbed upon meeting the young Prince. After all, War was glorious for anyone who hadn't experienced it; and a responsible, humane person like Darlton wouldn't like a pampered Prince ordering him to wipe out an entire race of human beings.

"He's dead, Darlton. And frankly, he was a small child...You're making too much of a single meeting. You said that Princess Cornelia has become like him?"

"You don't understand...He was...disturbing, for lack of a better word. Imagine Prince Schniezel without any restraint or empathy; that's what he was like! At that time, I had wondered how it would be to lead an army against him...Princess Cornelia seemed to think him as more of a son than a brother. She used to take care of him and Lady Nunnally when the Empress was away, which was often. And since then..."

Guilford realized what his friend was trying to say. He remembered how the Seventh army had come into being...and how they'd first won fame...

"We...We did it, didn't we?" he stammered. "What we did in Area 10...It was nothing less than genocide. And the aerial bombings in the MEF...God...I never thought..."

Darlton said grimly, "War has become more brutal and stupid since Binh Gai. In a sense, Knightmares have been our undoing, everyone's undoing. It's pathetic that I had to be taught this truth by a nine-year old...and how he died. By the Great Gods, how they died..."

* * *

><p>The Chief of the principal mafia family in Tokyo lay on the floor, shot in the legs and bleeding. He looked up to the young teen sitting in front of him. The brat had simply walked into his office at their front business, a little while after they'd opened for the day. How he'd managed to get through the security he couldn't understand at all. His confusion had grown when Jeremiah Gottwald himself walked in. It had turned into terror when at a word for the teen; Gottwald had calmly taken out two handguns and shot his two bodyguards.<p>

Don Carlos Vinci was not a coward; He'd once taken a bullet in the face, spit it out and shot the astonished would-be assassin. But the Britannian student in front of him exuded an aura that made the older man flinch when he met his eyes. Cold, brutal, violet eyes which looked upon him as if he were some kind of miserable insect- they reminded him of someone he'd met; Who?

What was astonishing was the way Gottwald was obeying him. The former leader of the Purists had shot him in the kneecaps when he'd spat at the boy. He'd barked-"You'll treat His Highness with respect! As such, your very existence tries his patience!"

His Highness? Who the hell was the kid? Suddenly, he realized where he'd seen those eyes before.

Five years ago, a newly instated Don Vinci had paid a visit to North Dakota. The countryside was fast emptying out and the provincial governor, a friend of Vinci's father, had invited Carlos to the site of a new satellite city to be built near Fargo. The Emperor himself had been there. He'd barely stayed for an hour; but the effect he had on the audience was unbelievable. The sheer force of presence the man had was unbelievable.

It was the same effect the kid was having on him.

"Everyone in this pathetic little office of yours is dead, Carlos. It might get you into trouble with the other groups in the area and the police might interfere but frankly, I'm not concerned at all..." the boy drawled, "This little refrain ring you've set up has run long enough. I can't allow the Black Knights to waste valuable resources breaking up your parties. Also I know that you've got a few Knightmares in storage. You don't need them, do you? I would like them all."

Don Vinci grimaced with pain but he managed to yell, "Who the hell do you think you are? You better kill me here, brat because I'll never agree to your demands."

Gottwald had started moving, but the boy waved him down. He said quietly, "You will, my friend, you will."

* * *

><p>"Sayoko suspects; but you know that, don't you?" CC said as she came out of the pool.<p>

Lelouch looked up from his laptop and replied, "I was stupid to think that she didn't guess the previous time. Zero's voice may be electronically altered, but my speech patterns are still the same; Nunnally, Euphy and Suzaku-even Cornelia will be able to guess- they probably have guessed already, they just don't want to believe!"

"You know how I love it when you sound so overconfident, don't you! You didn't even take my advice before rushing off with Milly!"

Lelouch gave her a smile. He yawned and stretched his arms. "Don't worry about that," He told the witch, "Milly is faithful to me alone, so is Reuben Ashford. Maybe Shirley or Rivalz can uncover my identity- but it's not like they have any reason to research Zero, do they?"

"Shirley."

Lelouch's smile vanished and he said with a frown, "I haven't forgotten about her. I won't be repeating my mistake with her father as last time; what I can't think of is how to do it!"

"Can I suggest something?"

"Feeling imaginative tonight? Please do, I'll be grateful for input" Lelouch asked with a grin.

"Well, I'll be disappointed if I have to run around trying to keep you alive. Again." said CC while drying her hair. She paused, her care-free manner vanishing in an instant, "Lelouch, I have a request."

"It's about Mao, isn't it?"

CC nodded and went on, "I know that it's a big thing to ask for; particularly after what he did to you in that other life, but...Please don't kill him."

"You do realize that he'll simply become a mind-slave to me if I agree to you."

"His life is hell anyway; I just don't want to kill him again. Despite all that happened he is still the little boy I once played with."

"I never figured you to be the sentimental type; I'll do as you wish!" Lelouch said and went back to his work. Suddenly, he straightened, "You said 'I' that time."

"Pardon"

"You said 'I don't want', It's a funny thing to say for you."

"I know."

She laughed as she walked towards the showers. Lelouch looked at her retreating back for a few moments and then with a soft sigh, turned his attention back to Nina's mail.

* * *

><p>Villetta couldn't understand how Jeremiah was taking things so lightly. Both he and Kewell had been demoted and publicly disgraced after the Kururugi fiasco, but unlike Kewell, her best friend hardly seemed to be bothered. He came to the office each day while humming a carefree tune and spent the days pouring over research papers and records. Villetta had sneaked a look at the documents one day when he was out- most of them were reports on modifying Sutherlands in battle and details on float systems. Jeremiah had a basic idea of Knightmare frame development, but he wasn't a scientist by any stretch of the imagination. Maybe, he was trying to impress the superiors by diversifying his skills?<p>

Kewell had vanished, somewhere in Hokkaido. There was a rumour that Bartley was there trying to book passage over to Russia. The Purist had invited Jeremiah, but the Margrave insisted that the former general was still in Tokyo and would be apprehended soon.

Running the Purists was a hard job, especially as the entire group was in disgrace. Villetta didn't think that was fair- Jeremiah had underestimated the resistance he'd face and both her friends had been careless, but at least nobody died- unlike Saitama. Zero had threatened the civilians with poison gas but Jeremiah had impounded the capsule and had it destroyed later. She didn't believe any of the rumours that her two friends were cooperating with the terrorists- both were fanatical Royalists and their patriotism had been unquestioned for years. The two hated Elevens- Jeremiah had even chastised her when she'd brought up her doubts on Ashford academy.

"We can't doubt Britannians! What would happen to the Empire? Besides, why should this student be Zero, in the first place? The settlement has plenty of game arcades and amusement parks if he wants to play around!" Even then, he'd agreed to come along with her to meet Deithard Reid. The journalist had come under a cloud for his reporting on Zero and Saitama, but strangely seemed reluctant to cooperate with her until she'd told him about Narita.

Cornelia had stationed the Purists at the very back of her forces. Their forces were under-strength. Many members had resigned after their disgrace and Kewell wasn't back yet. Jeremiah alone would've been a match for any Number, but he hadn't even protested and seemed to spend his days in philosophy and research and his nights in pubs. She'll have to do everything herself!

* * *

><p>"Lord Darlton!"<p>

Andreas Darlton turned to see his friend and comrade run upto him. His expressive face broke into a grin. "What's the hurry for, Guilford? I'd thought that you'd sneaked out and left me with all the work!"

The Royal Knight frowned and said curtly, "I've completed my tasks already. It's you who has delayed things for so long! Without your boys to help you, you're pathetic!"

The General laughed. "True, True! I'm not getting any younger; things will take a bit of time. Don't cry! I'll have the reports about the blockades and encirclements sent over to G1 by midday today. What was it you wanted to talk about?"

Lord Guilford held out a sheaf of papers. "Lord Frederick Carrigan. Have you heard of him?"

"Damned playboy and ship magnate. What about him? Finally got proof of his involvement in the Nelbrag flesh trade? Good for you! Not that it'll do any good though..."

"No, it's not that," replied Guilford. "The man has stayed clean ever since we've come to Area 11...It's just strange."

Confused, Darlton questioned, "What do you mean strange?"

"Lisgen is a shipbuilding company, isn't it? Turns out that Carrigan is planning on expanding into military hardware. They're hiring techs, PhDs, workers...Our boy must've sunk half his fortune into the setup he's building!"

Darlton thought about Guilford's warnings for some time. If a noble was making weapons without a license, then the army was, theoretically, duty-bound to investigate. But Britannian aristocracy, like a wondrous Hydra, was a being unique to itself. The nobility protected its privileges jealously, and most of them would only be too eager to champion the cause of a favourite son, favourite on account of cruelty, rapine and extortion. Despite Darlton and Guilford's most ardent wishes, targeting Carrigan without first proving treason was impossible.

He told Guilford, "We'll wait and see. I'm sure that they'll be plenty of time after Narita!" After a pause, "Maybe Zero scared him and now, he's doing good!"

Guilford didn't laugh. "Darlton, Lisgen isn't making guns or cannons! They're researching something, probably FLOAT! What if they sell the technology to the EU or the Chinese?"

"We can't target the nobility without any proof, Guilford! And even if he's making something new, maybe it's just diversification or whatcamacallit...If it gives you any satisfaction, I will send one of my technicians to spy there once my sons come here and take some of my duties off my hands. Happy?"

* * *

><p>Karen smiled as she heard the cheers of her comrades and newcomers. Kyoto had finally recognized their efforts and sent them 20 Knightmares; but the piece-de-resistance of all had been the GUREN Mark II- Japan's first Knightmare. It was a beautiful machine, at least to Karen's eyes, and she wondered whether Zero would be using it. She'd never seen him fight- though he did seem to be familiar with all kinds of frames. He had some kind of experience with building them too, and had been responsible for retrofitting some of their mechs with rangefinders and rocket launchers.<p>

As her comrades wandered away, Karen found herself thinking of her mother and Lelouch. She couldn't believe Rivalz when he'd told her who Alan Spacer was and had spent most of the next two days following the paperwork. Someone had had her mother declared officially dead and admitted her into a private sanatorium in Kyoto under a false name. Kyoto was one place where Britannia's writ was weak and the Britannian police would be loath to check people too closely at a place where old Japan still lived on.

Unfortunately, neither the Hospital nor the Police seemed to have any kind of paperwork about her case. The constable in charge of police records had been uncooperative but the name of Stadfeld fixed that quickly. He had muttered a very funny thing while getting the indexes. _"Of course you want Alan Spacer! Everybody wants Alan Spacer! Tomorrow, I'll have Nu here again! Then it'll be the Viceroy! What fun!" _What was that?

Milly swore that she'd told Lelouch nothing about her home life. But she'd been livid when Karen told her about the other day when she'd slapped Lelouch.

"_You don't understand Lelouch, do you? Well, no one actually understands him at all, but at least they don't jump to conclusions like you! God, I sound like a hypocrite... Listen well, Karen. Lelouch is one of the finest people I've met in my life. Nunnally, Sayoko-san, Shirley, Nina, even Suzaku-Do you even notice how all of us trust him completely? I don't know whether he was the one who'd helped your mother, but it'll be just like him to do that and not say a word!"_

She'd gone to the Lamperouges' rooms later that day. The head of the family was out but Nunnally had refused to let her go without tea. She had apologized for her brother's absence (Karen noticed she used Japanese for 'brother'); _"He isn't being nice to his friends? I thought he'd returned to normal after meeting Suzaku-san! He's been much more cheerful and friendly lately and Suzaku-san is here for tea almost every day! Would you like to come today? I think both of them will be here!"_

The little girl obviously adored her brother. Sitting at the table with her, Karen started to feel guilty over her attitude.

"You like it?" asked Zero as he emerged from the shadows.

A genuine smile came to Karen's lips. Here was somebody about whom she had no doubts. "Yes, we've finally become one of those whom Kyoto supports!"

"It's just a test. Don't be too optimistic."He tossed something to her. The GUREN Mk II's key.

"Why?" she protested. "Surely, with its defensive capabilities, you should be the one to use it!"

"Have you heard of the Knights of the Rounds?"

"Yes but..."

Zero ignored her,"When the Emperor established the current Order, he built it around two great pilots- Bismarck Waldenstien and Empress Marianne Vi Britannia. I think you're as good as them-if not better..."

'_What? Surely, he was joking!'_

Karen stammered, "I'm...not...How can you say that? I'm just a young girl and they're...legends..."

"You have a reason to fight, don't you? You'll do well! I trust you!"Zero retorted and walked off towards where Ougi was standing with a folder in his hands.

Karen clasped the key and stared at Zero's back. It was strange- with simply a few words, he'd removed all her doubts and hesitation.

'_You're better than them...'_

'_How did he say that so confidently? He hadn't fought the two, had he?'_

* * *

><p>"Go away, VV! I know you only want to grill me about Lelouch. And for Heaven's sake, stop acting so high and mighty with me!"<p>

"Have you any idea what you've done? That kid is a monster! Don't lie! We're sure that it is a perfect geass...I've seen him fooling around a few times and it's ridiculous!"

"Whatever!"

"Tell me, CC. At least give me a hint! The records don't mention anything!"

"They're incomplete! And don't complain to me. I didn't create the organization. That idiot Sofia pushed them onto me when she saw..."

"Who's Sofia?"

"Another Code. And I will grateful if you don't start about her! I haven't seen her for five centuries. Probably lying in a tomb in Romania. Besides, weren't you claiming to be just an observer?"

"I am an observer. My nephew ought to be glad I'm nothing more. Otherwise, he would've..."

"The Entire might of Britannia, OSI, M16, yada, yada. If you're so interested, why don't you join the Black Knights?"

"You're incorrigible! I won't ask you anything! Be happy and goodbye!"

"Goodbye. You've delayed me as it is. I had some work..."

"So, he's making you run around? Finally, someone able to order the great CC about! You won't believe the trouble I have with your researchers here! Half of them worship you or something..."

"Tell them to offer Pizza."

"Usual load of bull...Do me a favour, will you? No, forget it! It's not like Cornelia is off any use!"

"Fine...Fine..."

"CC, can you..."

"I can't!"

"Sorry! Goodbye!"

* * *

><p>Jeremiah Gottwald read the reports carefully. Things weren't going well at all at section 43; he and his prince barely had time to supervise the entire operation and General Bartley, while extremely talented at managing Geass researchers, was hopeless at designing Knightmares. The Knightmare Gigafortress the researchers had designed on the basis of studies on Lady CC was a weapon no ordinary human could handle. Jeremiah had nearly vomited when he'd heard of Bartley's ideas about experimenting on a human to make him or her a cyborg. How such a monstrous person could be allowed in the Britannian military was beyond his imagination!<p>

Imagine them experimenting on Lady CC! Admittedly she was sarcastic, rude and an inhuman, immortal abomination; but a mistress of a Britannian Prince deserved respect! Empress Marianne would've been shocked to know how those monsters had treated that child!

The useless scientists Lord Lelouch had geassed knew nothing about practical Knightmare construction. Jeremiah had been forced to scale back on the project, thankfully his Lord had given him full permission to make changes and carte'-Blanche with regard to funding. Accordingly, the design team had reduced the size of the Sutherland Sieg, creating an offensive weapon's platform aboard an ordinary Sutherland while installing over 2000 medium-range rockets within the mech.

Lord Lelouch didn't visit the construction yard often, preferring to supervise the researchers working in another corner of the research station; they seemed to be building a gigantic room for some purpose. However, he had given vital ideas to the team when he'd come for inspection. Jeremiah had been pleasantly surprised at the range and effectiveness of his Lord's leaps of imagination. It was almost as if he knew the best design parameters for the Knightmare frame already.

He'd originally hoped that Reuben Ashford would join them. But the coward had insulted Empress Marianne's heir! Imagine him rejecting the alliance his Lord had so graciously offered! His Highness hadn't seemed worried about the result of his interview; He'd obtained support from a bunch of Eleven traitors in Kyoto...No matter, sacrifices must be made in bad times.

Shinozaki Sayoko wasn't his idea of a dedicated servant to a Britannian Prince and Princess; however it was to be admitted that she had served his Lord and Lady faithfully for six years. Jeremiah had urged his Lord to use his geass on her to test her loyalty but he'd simply smiled and told him that she knew all their secrets; thus he had no choice but to keep quiet. At least His Lord had never been wrong yet.

As Jeremiah left the Geass research organization, he started thinking about Narita. Princess Cornelia had mustered over four hundred frames for her operation. His Highness had only forty-one and a bunch of useless, untrained soldiers. He'd beseeched Prince Lelouch to accept his help, but the Prince had disagreed. "I'll even the odds when the battle begins, Jeremiah! Don't worry about anything," he'd carelessly said.

Jeremiah was extremely uneasy about things, but His Highness had told him not to bother...and Zero had defeated Britannia earlier. He'll wait, and hope. Empress Marianne was a goddess of war; could her son have the same gift?

* * *

><p>Joseph Fenette got out of his car and locked the door. It was a hard thing to do- working so far away from his family, but the pay was good and there was talk of a transfer the next year once construction of the planned Sakuradite extractor started. He looked up to find a green-haired girl holding a photograph and staring at him.<p>

"You're Joseph Fenette, aren't you?" she began in a bored voice.

"Yes, what can I do for you, miss?"

"I'm kidnapping you. Do me a favour and cooperate, will you?"The girl replied as she drew a weird gun.

As Fenette looked on in shock, she pressed the trigger.

The guard saw her and rushed towards them, but the girl simply aimed and shot him down. She took the keys from the unconscious Fenette's hands and after dragging him inside, drove off.

* * *

><p>Euphemia listened carefully as general Darlton and Cornelia explained their strategy for the day's battle. Morale was high among the troops of the Seventh army despite the events of the past month. However, it was obvious to the young princess that things were far from well. A vicious gang war had started back in Tokyo after Don Vinci and Don Otti had declared war on the other families. Though Schniezel had sent the Knightmares her sister had asked for, the entire Eleventh army and the nobility were dissatisfied and Cornelia, in a fit of anger, had refused to supply their divisions. The Purists were raising their heads again and public opinion was in their favour too.<p>

Zero. After creating the Order of Black Knights, he had virtually taken over the Law enforcement in Tokyo. The ghettos were peaceful these days, fewer Britannian civilians were being attacked or mugged- but the Empire had practically vanished from there. Even the supply trains passing through had been attacked and 12 frames been stolen in the past week.

Euphemia didn't agree with Cornelia that Zero was a danger to the Empire. In her heart, she felt that Zero was doing a service to Area 11 by removing corruption and crime from the ghettos. The conversation she had with Zero at the hotel puzzled here; she had expected a rude, intimidating war-monger. Instead Zero was a polite person with a cultured voice. He did seem to be a megalomaniac, but if he considered himself a god, then it was as a god cursed with his own divinity. His voice had been sad and wistful; and Euphemia wasn't sure that he'd even remembered her presence after giving her the chocolates.

Dresden with Hazelnuts. Her favourite. The ones her Siblings always gave her as presents. Lelouch and Nunnally had once too.

Everything in Japan appeared to remind her of them. And from what their butler told her, Clovis had been obsessed with finding their graves- searching for them as far as the Ryuku Islands and the Sakhalin...

"_His Highness spoke of them often. He used to mention you too, Your Highness, and always described how wonderful it would be if you came to view the Sakura flowers in Area 11!"_

She had immediately thought of another sibling who'd told her about the Sakura trees. And as if by coincidence, Cornelia had compared her hair to the pink Sakura flowers at dinner the previous night.

She was very afraid.

Cornelia had been very interested in Zero's gift; she had wanted to throw them into the water, but Euphemia hadn't let go off the box. It was a gift, after all...and Zero appeared to hate himself so much. Despite what he'd done, it didn't seem right to pile her own hatred upon him.

General Darlton had taken note of the mistakes in Saitama and sealed the roads hours beforehand. She didn't like the fact that Suzaku and the Lancelot were being used as the rearguard but Cornelia hadn't paid attention to her request to send them to the frontlines.

As she looked towards the mountains, she thought of what the Emperor had told Lelouch the last time he'd appeared in court.

'_It was a very good speech the Emperor gave that day...I agree completely.'_

* * *

><p>Ougi asked the masked man at the side, "Are you sure about this all? Don't you think we should help the JLF?"<p>

"Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do! I asked you to be our leader, didn't I?" That was true. He trusted Zero completely. The man had changed the meaning of a resistance in Area 11. Within two months, Naoto's old group had grown over 20 times in size; they'd obtained over 40 state-of-the-art Knightmares. What was even more impressive was how they'd improved Tokyo. Refrain trafficking had vanished, corruption was gone, even the Britannian police had started working properly. Zero might've Britannian, but he'd forged Naoto's old resistance into a true Japanese army. Ougi didn't know what his reasons for fighting were, but he was willing to give Zero a chance.

"Stop Joking!"He came out of his reverie on hearing Tamaki's yell and watched, shocked, as wave after wave of Knightmares swarmed out of trains and dropped from VTOLs.

"There won't be an escape route!"

"There is no escape route. We have to fight or die."

"Fight?" Inoue stammered, "Zero, that's impossible. They outnumber us at least 5 to 1!"

"You're crazy, Zero! We can't go head-on with them! We're surrounded!"Tamaki yelled.

"Yet, here we are...And here we will fight!"

"Shut up, you bloody Brit!"

Ougi watched horrified as the camaraderie among the troops vanished in an instant. Tamaki had not only announced the principal fears on everyone's mind but also used the dreaded B-word. He seemed to have completely forgotten the executive council's resolution to keep Zero's Britannian heritage from the rank and file. He tried to interfere but Zero seemed determined to anger everybody and even Ougi found himself becoming infuriated with the vigilante's talk of miracles.

But he hadn't expected Tamaki to try to pull his gun on Zero. Neither had he expected Zero to predict the move and hold the man at gunpoint.

"You had only two choices when you joined the Order of the Black Knights- fight for me or Die with me! Every condition is here for victory! The men, the weapons, the Knightmares- If you feel you can lead the Order, then feel free to attack and kill me. You are a hundred in number, I am but one man."

There was complete silence among the troops. Tamaki was flinching and Ougi could see most people bowing their heads in shame.

Zero went on, "You are the army that has chosen to fight the World's injustice. You are a hundred, but each of you is worth a thousand troops. Including me, you are a force a hundred thousand and one strong! They don't outnumber us! We outnumber them! Fight today, defeat them! Capture Cornelia and we'll have our victory and go home in peace!"

Ougi watched as the Black Knights, led by Inoue and Minamata, broke into cheers. As they moved into position though, Ougi heard Zero mutter to himself, _"but isn't the place I come home to...the battlefield?"_

* * *

><p>Villetta watched horrified as the mountain itself seemed to rise up against the Britannian forces. Three of the seven Knightmare teams were wiped out in a flash-including general's Darlton unit. For the first time, she was glad she wasn't on the frontlines. She looked over to where Jeremiah was standing, his eyes bulging and his mouth open with shock.<p>

"Lord Jeremiah? You're the most experienced of us. What should I do?"she asked but Jeremiah didn't seem to hear her.

He started talking to himself in a strange voice, "A hundred and fifty frames...half our forces...a God...a god of war...I was such a fool to doubt him...Long live the Empress...Long live His Highness ...Long live the Prince...All Hail Britannia..."

* * *

><p>General Darlton was one of the highest decorated officers in the Britannian army. He had participated in three different campaigns and was considered one of the finest Britannian commanders of the time.<p>

Unfortunately, Zero seemed to be miles ahead of him. They'd been on the verge of victory when that freak avalanche had taken out almost half their forces. Princess Cornelia had ordered the reserves to support him; all of them were gone. Zero appeared to have some kind of super weapon in his hands; the squads on the other side of the mountain were dropping from the IFF like flies. The Black Knights had almost 50 frames and Zero appeared to be micromanaging the offense himself.

Princess Cornelia was isolated on the Southern flank while her Royal Guard and the Purists kept Zero and Toudou at bay. He'd ordered his troops to break through the JLF defence lines, but the charge had lost momentum and fallen through.

As he struggled to hold the line, Guilford's voice came from the speakers," General Darlton, Zero has ambushed the Princess at point 9! I won't be able to reach her in time! Please, save her!"

* * *

><p>Karen watched in glee as the mighty Cornelia's mech was brought to its knees. Zero had predicted the exact point where she had emerged from. The Princess had put up a good fight, but there was no way for her to resist the Guren. She was going to charge again, when the White Knightmare from Shinjuku burst into their midst.<p>

"Governor-general," a voice announced from inside the Lancelot, "Please flee from this place."

Before Cornelia could answer, Zero's voice came from his Knightmare, "Kururugi Suzaku! How good of you to join us! Why don't you come out and we can catch up on old times!"

Karen couldn't believe her ears. Suzaku? The Lancelot's pilot? Impossible! If this was true...

"Please surrender, Zero! I am under orders to protect the Imperial Princess till reinforcements arrive." _'Was this guy serious?_'

Karen got ready to battle with the Lancelot. She didn't have a proper Knightmare at Shinjuku, but now, she would be able to keep up with that monster. She waited for Zero to order her to attack.

It never came.

Zero laughed, "How rude of you! I challenge you to a duel, Suzaku! My subordinates will humour the Viceroy while we're busy."

Ougi's voice came from her communicator, "Karen, retreat now." His voice was low and frightened.

"Why?"

"It's Zero! He's ordered you to fall back for now and attack when I give you the order."

Something was off with Ougi's voice.

"Ougi-san, Can you explain it better?"

Ougi said apologetically, "Zero told me not to tell you his plans...He said...you won't obey them...if you knew them completely..."

'_What!'_

"SUZAKU! PREPARE YOURSELF!" roared Zero as he leapt at the Lancelot.

* * *

><p>Suzaku couldn't believe his ears. How had Zero known who the Lancelot's pilot was? He didn't know how good a pilot Zero was-No one had actually seen him battle before. When he'd broken through the mountain, He'd expected Zero to be inside the red Knightmare-but now, he felt it was probably the so-called 'Ace'.<p>

Zero's challenge had come as a surprise. He'd expected to face off against the red mech. But that didn't change his mission- to save the Princess; he had to defeat them all.

The Burai managed to avoid the first slash harken, but lost an arm to the second one. Suzaku wondered whether to use the VARIS but won't that be risky if Zero was hit directly? He didn't want to kill anyone, even a terrorist like Zero.

The terrorist seemed to an average pilot, but it appeared that he had plenty of experience. His movements were jerky and uncoordinated-It seemed he'd never learned piloting as such, but that was the case with Suzaku too. Zero was using a modified Burai, with a stylized head-piece and strange attachments to his joints and back. Suzaku wondered what they were for.

Zero avoided his kick and jumped out of the way when he charged. Suzaku jumped to close the distance between them; why was the Lancelot so slow...? And was hit directly by a chaos grenade thrown by a terrorist behind him.

The Lancelot's armour took most of the brunt and Suzaku had managed to activate one of his shields, but the VARIS was ruined and one of his swords was gone. There appeared to be some problem with the drive too; Suzaku watched the onboard AI flicker and go out. The cockpit lights dimmed and He realized that most support and weapons systems had just crashed. _'Just like Shinjuku, I lost focus for a second and...'_

He landed badly, only to find Zero waiting for him. Zero avoided the first strike but no matter, it was a feint after all. Then Zero escaped his follow-up punch, and then made space to avoid his kick. His machine was fast; no, it was the Lancelot that had got slower but even then...how was he doing it? It was just like he was reading his mind...As if he knew his fighting style like Lelouch or Toudou-sensei himself...But wasn't his old teacher fighting Lord Guilford at the foot of the mountain?

Zero launched his slash Harkens at the Lancelot which the latter easily dodged. Closing the distance between the two frames as fast as he could with his crippled machine, Suzaku cut off the Burai's hand from the wrist and with his other hand, grabbed the Knightmare's head just as the Lancelot's right leg went off-line. It was strange; He was sure that he had been at his best and yet...Maybe, Lloyd-san or Cecile-san had forgotten to tune the Lancelot properly. Lloyd-san was running a few tests yesterday, after all. He turned his attention back to the job at hand.

"Please surrender!"He announced to the assembled terrorists, "Your leader has been defeated." But he was cut off with a cold laugh coming from Zero's cockpit.

"Suzaku, you're a good person! You fight fair, don't you! And thus you lose! Knights! Use plan X-3!"

The machinery on the Burai's joints opened up; and the hatch on the front of Zero's machine blew open to reveal five Harpoon-type Slash harkens, used for capturing enemy Knightmares, and he fired all of them consecutively at the Lancelot. Suzaku was wondering what Zero meant by such a meaningless action when the latter ejected. Just then, a net of reinforced steel was thrown over the two machines from the back. Suzaku saw the Guren moving back...He tried to accelerate...and his machine was too slow.

Two miles away, Princess Euphemia and the Special Envoys looked on in horror as the hundred fifty kilograms of Elastomeric Sakuradite carried by Zero's machine exploded, with the Lancelot tied to it.

* * *

><p>Cornelia looked on in horror as Zero defeated, no, destroyed the Lancelot completely. The Eleven, despite whatever her personal beliefs, was a good pilot-one of the best she'd seen in her life and Zero had tricked the machine into getting blown up.<p>

A burst of fire from the side broke her out of her thoughts.

"What's the matter, O great Princess? How does getting captured feel, eh?"an arrogant voice came from a Burai near her.

Cornelia prepared to fight to death. She won't surrender. _"Forgive me, Euphy!"_ she whispered. Switching on her speakers, she shouted,"Damned Elevens, I will show the true might of the Royal family." Saying so, she launched her two Harkens.

But both missed and she found herself staring down the barrel of the Burai's rifle. The Eleven announced."Zero told us to take you alive; but to allow such a rude person to speak would be bad, won't it? Goodbye, Britannian!"

The shot never came. A single red sword came flying out of the dust-cloud the Lancelot had vanished in and skewered the Burai through the head. The Lancelot rose, its armour dented and cracked all over, it's landspinners gone, both its factospheres gone, Its cockpit almost collapsed onto itself_...'Why hasn't that Eleven ejected yet? Why hasn't the auto-eject kicked in_? 'As Cornelia watched, the Blaze Luminous shields on its hands flickered and died.

A tired voice came from the White Knightmare, "Your leader lost the duel and fled from battle, abandoning you. Please surrender!"

The red Knightmare charged at it, faster than anything Cornelia could imagine. The Lancelot didn't move until the last moment. As the Black Knight's machine raised it's right hand and started the beam it was using, the Lancelot _smashed _it's right fist into its waist section so hard that the hand fell to pieces at the blow.

The red Knightmare was thrown back, but got up in a moment and rushed forward again. It thrust its right hand at the Lancelot, but Kururugi didn't even move. At the last moment, it blocked the strike with the Lancelot's right hand. As the strange beam started melting the Lancelot, Kururugi grabbed the silvery appendage with the Lancelot's left _and squeezed_.

There was a blast and the terrorist's mech fell back. As the smoke cleared, Cornelia could see the Lancelot still standing, despite both its hands dangling uselessly by the sides. _'How much more punishment can both man and machine take?'_ Cornelia wondered.

Kururugi's voice came from the Lancelot; it sounded oddly hollow and mechanical, "Please retreat! You've lost your only weapon. Even if you kill me here, you won't be able to win against General Darlton and Lord Guilford."

The terrorist looked at the two for a moment and went away.

* * *

><p>"That was...That was insane!" CC said as Lelouch closed the door of the car. "What were you thinking? Don't tell me you've started thinking of yourself as some kind of first–rate devicer! And with that Burai!"<p>

"I had already geassed Lloyd...Nah, forget it! One of my best ideas ever! A structured phrase-activated command. One of my better ideas; I don't think Suzaku could've extracted more than 20% from that mech and the stupid suicidal idiot won't even question the Lancelot! He will blame himself!" Lelouch explained as he took the Austin's keys from CC and opened the doors.

CC huffed in annoyance and took her seat. She muttered, "No pizzas...And a suicidal contractor! Do you know, just because you genuinely care for me doesn't mean that you are good for my health! That's assuming you were not simply feeling guilty about me that time!"

Lelouch shook his head and replied in a tired voice, "Do you know, the last CC wasn't as irritating as you...Actually, I can't figure out who's the worse witch of the two! At least you can be a tad more supportive!"

"Well, I promise to bring the popcorn when your next suicide attempt comes up! Will that be fine?"

"That's good enough. Today was a loss after all. I wish I'd been a bit...Forget it! I'm tired and Nunnally's waiting at home. Now's a good time to recruit Sayoko-san! Diethard got hold of her then and frankly, she's too good for that insane idiot!"

CC yawned and stretched. "I should've sat at the back. More room...You're going to geass him? What about Nunnally? Another repeat of your old melodrama?"

Lelouch looked at her coldly. CC smirked and said, "You're not immortal. I'd keep my eyes on the road if...That's good! I can give her a geass if she wants. Wonderful! I live for such moments! You should've seen your face then!"

Lelouch was pale and shaking. He spoke in a trembling voice, "Geass is a curse,C-! You know that better than anyone else! Never say something like that again! Help me, please!"

"And you won't even tell me!" C pouted; She had given a start when Lelouch said her real name but nothing else. "And what about your reporter? Do you need my advice? Don't geass him for Heaven's sake! I've had enough of all the nobles calling you up at all kinds of hours! I like my beauty sleep very much, thank you!"

"Diethard is out for larger-than-life characters...I think Geass won't be necessary in his case. As for Nunnally, sometimes..."

"Sometimes, she disappoints you...You know what the problem is with you, Lelouch?" CC said in a careless tone. "Come on, I am experienced after all!"

The Prince looked interested; CC smirked inwardly. She had been preparing this speech while her contractor was busy trying to get himself killed. "There are some places in the world where children are forced to fight...Yes, forced! Seriously, that face you had when you killed Clovis' royal guard was terrifying. I could sense everything! Normal teens shouldn't behave like that!"

Lelouch laughed on hearing her words. He asked with a smile on his lips. "And you're what? Sixteen physically? You're one to talk...and I'm a Prince! It's nothing..."

"No, you're a child soldier. So is Suzaku. Karen. Anya. Even Nunnally...The war and exile changed you; It made you brutal and willing to crush everything in your path. It took Nunnally to the exact opposite end; She truly hates war...You don't. I meant that subconsciously you're prepared for violence every single minute. I've seen it and believe me, I've seen it way too many times. Suzaku is no different, whatever he says! And as for Karen, she doesn't even try to hide it!"

"I suppose that's a point...Schniezel probably tried something like that with Nunnally." Lelouch mused. "But that doesn't change anything, does it? Japan is filled with such characters! And Britannia is a militaristic society. Hell, I know for a fact that half of the tax on those pizzas you buy with my money, goes into the Emperor's pockets...Or maybe VV's! It makes me sick to think of that!" The Prince finished with a laugh, one that was taken up by his 'accomplice'.

"I'm hurt! I do everything for you! Stay at home while you're out! Give you advice which you don't take! Sleep with you! Wait for you at nights! I've even placed my bets on you! And then..."

Lelouch said with a groan, "You're making this sound creepy, CC! Have you finished playing Freud? Besides, how did you learn all this after all? I never figured you to be the type."

"He's mostly discredited. Actually, Freud did part of his research at the Directorate. Even though I wasn't there at the time, I have many fans over there! Still do! And they don't hate me like you!"

"Whatever!" Lelouch sighed.

CC grinned at having the last word in, then her face hardened and she began speaking, "They first detected this in the African Rift Valley about twenty years ago; Belgians and Prussians fighting against local revolutionaries...Many of the fighters were just children obsessed by a hero-figure. They put him or her on a pedestal, looked up to them...You did that, didn't you? With Marianne?"

"Shut up."

"When NGOs got hold of them and finally let's say, 'cured' them; these children reported feelings of intense hatred for their former heroes, increased rates of violence and this one stuck my mind when I heard of Milly. Apparently, feelings of protectiveness for family and close friends grew, sometimes to illogical extremes. They became kind of reckless and moody. In one case, a lieutenant of one such terrorist leader actually shot his chief dead when...Suits both you and Karen to a tee, don't you think so? Lelouch?"

Lelouch pulled over the Austin to the roadside and stopped. For a few moments, both were quiet and then, he started laughing. He turned to CC. "You're a laugh, CC! No matter how much trouble you are, you're worth keeping around! You're saying I'm mentally diseased?"

"You were always!" remarked CC. "I'm surprised my counterpart didn't notice...Or maybe, she wasn't as nice as me?"

"Hmm...I will look into that. How about a pizza? At any rate, I owe you one for Fenette back there!"

"Your treat? It's much more satisfying draining your wallet than your credit card! And you're treating me yourself, in the best Pizza parlour around! It'll be worth seeing your face when I order!"

* * *

><p>'<em>This is terrible!' grumbled the young intelligence officer as he entered the tent. 'Are you insane, boy? These Venezuelan communists will stab us in the back the minute they get a chance and you're still holding out on your stupid hopes?'<em>

_Charles laughed to hear his brother's words. 'You really don't like my plans, do you brother? I'm sorry for making you run about so much...But trust me! Everything will go fine!'_

'_Everything will go fine!' mocked Vincent as he rifled through the reports on Charles' desk. 'All of this could've been avoided if you'd taken my advice and married that idiot! Her father could've given us a base in Cuba but no! I'm still young! I don't love her! I'm still a teenager! What the hell were you thinking?'_

'_Stop fretting, brother! Believe me, I had a better plan and...fine, fine; I will marry her when we return to the Mainland! What's that photo you're holding? O, he's Gamelan Ernst, a revolutionary leader against the Portuguese Emperor. I've recruited him to help in our campaigns!'_

_Vincent groaned, 'Not another communist! I've had enough, Charles!'_

'_He's not! They burnt his village down. The only ones to survive were him and his one-year old daughter! Swore allegiance to me after I rescued him and his troops from one of the local prisons!'_

'_You're too trusting, little brother...And you put yourself in harm's way much too often! What will happen to our resolution if anything happens to you? Going around charging outposts from the front...Are you insane?'_

'_Well. I have to be...There's no choice...'_

'_Choice be damnned! It's all that stupid policy of yours! How many times must I tell you not to be childish?'_

_The young Colonel laughed sheepishly and started packing his rucksack. His brother huffed in disgust and plopped onto a chair._

'_Charles, you know what I think of your stupid idealism? They're trash! Do not kill unless you're ready to be killed! Where's the bloody logic in...Charles, are you listening to me? Hey, take an extra pullover! You will catch your death of a cold in those beastly hills! Charles, come here this instant!'_

* * *

><p><strong>I finished reading Cal reflector's Lelouch of Britannia a few hours ago. It's brilliant. One of the things I love about is how writers can use it as a wonderful testing ground for their imagination. Can anyone recommend any good time travel fics for me? I've only found two.<strong>

**I made the Narita incident pretty short. I hate long fight scenes...especially those with Knightmares. Melee battles are usually resolved within seconds and both the BKs and the Britannians love melee. As for why Lelouch chose to fight against Suzaku himself? The reason's obvious if you think about it!**

**I know what canon says; but I made a Gaussian plot and it told me that Nunnally was the tenth princess. Maths trumps imagination in my book. And I guess I want to give Lelouch a bit of extra back-story. Frankly, I always thought that the others, especially someone as utilitarian as Schniezel, were giving him a bit too much importance. Schniezel mentions that Lelouch 'scared' him. When the latter was a mere ten years old. And then, you have Karine yelling about how much she loved war. I'm sure that a kid Lelouch, before he got exiled, was a real terror- something like an unholy combination of Schniezel and Karine. If that's not scary, I don't know what else is. **

**I'm actually surprised at how fast I completed this chapter. I started a bit after lunch and it's barely midnight now. I'm thinking of introducing an OC but I hate them...I will be grateful if I get some opinions.**

**Goodbye. Sleep tight. Don't let the Vampires bite.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Examinations. Sorry about the delay. Dashed this off in one day. And no rants for this week; don't have the time or energy or inclination to write one right now.**

**I will try to post two chapters in the coming week, if time permits.**

**I don't own Code Geass.**

* * *

><p>"You're sure about this, aren't you?" asked Ougi hesitantly as Tamaki shouldered past him into the chamber leading to Zero's room in the Mobile base. Their recently-concluded meeting had been the most frigid and tense in the Order of the Black Knight's short history. Tamaki's slip-of-tongue at Narita had almost caused a schism within the organization; and there were talks of mutiny- primarily from the more radical youngsters in the organization. While the executive council had been trying its utmost to keep things in order, Zero's frequent absences and lack of any specific orders were hampering things. Even worse, Zero refused to accept Tamaki's apologies, simply stating that 'I should've expected this from somebody like you. Apparently, loyalty is a precious commodity in Area Eleven in these days.'<p>

That snide comment about the integrity of the Japanese people had snowballed into a huge argument about Zero's motives and his identity. Despite Ougi's and Karen's efforts to calm things down, Tamaki had walked out of the room in disgust and Inoue was calling for a vote of confidence amongst the Executive Council over Zero's leadership. Only then had Zero broken his silence.

'You seem to be under the impression that we're a democracy here! Let me correct you- we're not. If you have anything constructive to tell us, please go ahead. Else, this useless meeting is at an end. I have several more important things to do!'

Then, the great Leader had marched off into his private sanctum leaving a paralyzed Executive Council in his wake. Ougi had been near tears at this point, but then Tamaki had turned up- a wide grin on his face and a box in his arms. Apparently, he had been thinking about making amends for his...'I'm human, no? It was a little mistake, that's all!' After stomping out of the room, Tamaki had run into Izumi. Ougi didn't get all the details; but apparently Izumi won't be leading any more mutinies against Zero any time soon.

"Positive!" exclaimed Tamaki, "You see, at Saitama, Cornelia used the media. Zero ruined everything but then, you had that speech at Kawaguchi and now, everything's back to square one! They censor everything! It's your fault, Ougi! We should hire that press-guy, Britannian or not!"

Karen spoke in a shaky voice. "That isn't a movie camera, is it? Tamaki, what will Zero say to this! You should have asked him first!"

"And ruin my apology? Actions speak louder than words, Karen! You two can't be the only ones Zero trusts! I will show him that I'm a proud Black Knight!"

"You almost killed the Viceroy..." Karen mumbled in response.

"I'm human; I said that earlier!" said Tamaki with a huff and pounded on Zero's door. He didn't wait for a reply though and walked in at once.

Zero didn't seem to be working or doing anything constructive. He had a chess-board in front of him and seemed to be playing against himself. "So much for important things..." Ougi heard Tamaki grumble softly.

"Any problems, Ougi?" Zero asked in a reserved tone. If he was offended or angry at Tamaki's rudeness, there was no sign of it. He listened carefully to Tamaki's idea and after deliberating for a short while, answered in the positive, "It is praiseworthy. I should've implemented it earlier. Guess I got complacent about Diethard...Has he joined us yet, Ougi?"

"I'm checking his background. The Britannians, I mean, the Government..."

"He is not a spy, if that's what you're concerned about. Call him for the next of these little meetings." Standing up, he motioned them in and started to help Tamaki set up the camera. "It was good that you came right now. I was just deciding upon my current strategy. Times are changing and I'm becoming too careless."

Ougi sighed in annoyance. Zero's obsession with chess was only one of his many quirks the second-in-command didn't understand.

Apparently Karen shared his opinions because she asked Zero, "Chess? How can you equate your plans with Chess, Zero? It's too...too..."

"Britannian? But I'm Britannian, after all! Come on, the whole world is a game of chess. Move a piece...and you end up somewhere else. We are a lot like chess pieces after all!"

Ougi, apprehensive about Zero's propensity to label his men as chess pieces and the ongoing conversation, joked, "Well, at least there's someone above you, Zero! God plays us all!"

"Not exactly," Zero quipped. "The fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are its underlings."

"Act 1, Scene 1," Karen stated blandly.

"It's actually Scene 2; but I'm surprised that you know it. Weren't you absent when that particular play was taught at Ashford Academy?"

"How did you..."

"It's actually frightening how our lives resemble chess. Always in play, always at war; we have to move constantly or else...die. Our thoughts, our ideas; how easily are they reduced to Black and White. And how easily do our plans are ruined when our pieces don't stand alongside us...Take Cornelia for example..."

"You mind if I film your game, Zero?" started Tamaki enthusiastically. He had finished assembling his equipment and was now filming Zero's book-shelves and table.

"It's not a game, only something from memory. Do whatever you want...I will give you your speech once I've decided what to say. I have a couple of hours right now."

By now, Ougi was getting frustrated at the flow of things. He had several important things to arrange and logistics to handle; He didn't have the time or inclination to listen to Zero's philosophical rants. Karen must've noticed his irritation as she poked him in the ribs when Zero wasn't looking and tried to get the masked man's attention.

"Zero, you said that war strategy could be decided through chess..."

Zero turned towards them and sat down in his chair. He meditated on the pieces for a few seconds and then, moved a white rook. "Cornelia is a straightforward person. She blusters past her opponents with one overwhelming attack...Ordinarily, it's stupid; but she is a good player and after all, she has the best support staff among His Majesty's children. Schniezel, on the other hand, uses an all-round attack...He doesn't concentrate on the queen, as so many high-ranked players do. You never see the attack coming, until it's too late."

"You talk like you've played with them!" laughed Ougi.

"And what makes you think I haven't?"

The ensuing silence, in Ougi's opinion, was becoming as much of a Zero trademark as one of his stirring speeches or potent battle tactics. Tamaki's mouth was open; his eyes bulging and his expression one of complete shock. Karen didn't seem to be so affected, but with Zero's apparent omniscience regarding her, maybe, she had lost the ability to be surprised by his words. In the end, it was she who broke the ice.

"And this is your style, isn't it? Isn't it risky to use the King like you've done? "

"It's the best counter to Schniezel's unpredictability! Veiled attacks and..."

"Semi-suicidal!' grumbled Ougi. "What are you playing at, Zero? It's bad enough that none of us know who you are! Then, you talk about such...Knowing the Royals, Playing against them- I don't know whether you're telling the truth, but these type of comments is exactly what the problem is!"

Zero broke in coldly, "That's why you're the second-in-command, Ougi. You already know that I can't give the organization all my attention- I have more work in my hands. Don't blame me for your mistakes."

"Zero, Ougi-san, Stop! Please!" pleaded Karen. It was only then that Ougi noticed that he had stood up and was glowering at Zero. Tamaki was still standing in the corner, now trying to hide himself behind the sofa.

Zero spoke, "I apologize for my rudeness, Ougi. I assure you that your actions have been invaluable into making the Black Knights the force they are. If I may go so far, I'd even say that they've affected even me as a person. Are you ready, Tamaki? I'm thinking of letting Ougi and Karen speak as well. After all, Everybody loves democracy!"

* * *

><p>"This one might interest you," said CC as she came down for breakfast.<p>

Lelouch looked up from the newspaper and took the drive she offered. Nunnally had left for her classes and Sayoko was at the market. Lelouch himself ought to have been at his History lecture, but Tamaki's jig with the propaganda had ruined his sleep schedule and the prince was now running a slight temperature- which gave him a good excuse for bunking the rest of the week's classes.

Lelouch opened the drive's contents on his laptop and winced as screams filled the little dining room. He looked at CC quizzically; and the witch shrugged in reply.

"You told me that the canceller was nearly complete! What the hell is this?"

CC huffed and answered in a long-suffering voice, "It's the best you can hope for now. Even though we have the same researchers, the Directorate had an extra year under its belt when they completed Jeremiah's. At least they're not going insane anymore!"

"You do remember that these are living humans, don't you? Even if you are an immortal..."

"Pain never changes, Your Highness!" CC snapped. "I'm doing my best and frankly, you should be a bit more grateful. You're not the most pearly-white of individuals yourself."

"Very well, you're right. I'm wasting time on technicalities," murmured Lelouch as he read the transcripts of the session. It had been three weeks since Renfield had performed his last duty as a geass-slave. Lelouch, taking note of the lack of good engineers in Code R, had used the opportunity to 'recruit' several of the Montgomery Institute's (Formerly Takeda University) best researchers and professors. He had spent an entire week assembling a research team capable of emulating the one of the Geass Directorate's finest achievements. Lisgen's best scientists and their equipment were now permanently at Section 43 and Lelouch was sure that he'd effectively crippled the Fisheries Department of the Colonial Government with the amount of money he'd pilfered from the books. He'd even managed to get CC to contribute as research head by bribing her with a credit card of her own.

And after all that time and effort?

The first two had effectively lost their minds the minute they were tested upon. It had been sickening to watch the results but Lelouch had managed to convince himself that the two soldiers deserved it for their war crimes. The third time had been even more difficult; and CC had to order a complete overhaul of the systems. They got their first success after two weeks of operations. A drug-runner managed to break free of Lelouch's Absolute Command; Unfortunately, his very body was no longer under his control. The Eleventh Prince's Geass was still too strong to defeat.

Lelouch broke out of his reverie on hearing CC's voice. The girl was playing with her bread and looking at him with an amused expression. When she saw that her contractor was finally paying attention to her, she remarked, "You might want to pay a bit more attention to this one. It's...interesting."

Puzzled, Lelouch started scanning through the pages rapidly. The reports were uniformly grim; The Fourth subject, one specifically chosen for his...disposability, still didn't have motor control. The results of the post-experiment interview and the question answer session...He glanced at CC. The Witch was still smiling; but the look in her eyes suggested a mood completely removed from amusement.

"That's Charles' handiwork! It's a couple of years old, but now I'm sure that Charles knew of me all long...That little brat..."

The Prince leaned back, barely paying any attention to his accomplice as she raged at his father and mother. If he was honest with himself, he had expected something like this to be the case. The Emperor was too astute a person to leave things to chance...And VV had a person in Section 43 after all.

Lelouch wasn't exactly sure about the dynamics between his father and his uncle...but something told him that the two brothers weren't as close at the present time as they once were.

* * *

><p>Mao's head was aching; It had been a long trip by sea and the damned smugglers he was travelling with were nothing more than a bunch of trigger-happy amateurs. It had been hard work trying to get them to see reason; organized crime syndicates were easier to deal with...Well, at least they'd be landing at the drop-off point the crooks were using soon.<p>

The headphones were useless in keeping the thoughts out of his head, but at least, they took away his attention from his geass.

'Well land at that Start stop nets hue okay heart in head and the compass broken m time tie fighter start op damned brat cheated god it's too sugary date r dark where is where is the lighthouse anyway..."

Stop.

'_You are so good, Mao.'_

"die if she don't let me I hope Duncan is there those custom guys will kill be maybe I can six an' six is twelve an' carry one an' three get this who cares about tariffs..."

Stop.

'_Excellent, Mao!_'

"ich weiss nicht gabble gei bei broadway du hast mich commie...e...f(xy)=j=0 aj(nj)xn=j+ik..."

Stop.

'_Look at me, Mao!'_

"Really know I'm God but fear to confess their sins..."

Stop.

'_Tired, Mao?'_

"carry over the poly got their melt resin and polish polish polish polish polish just polish don't give up you'll do well in moulder Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away in square head he tried to poke his gobble gobble O God I am most heartily sorry I have offended Thee the exams wish I could watch..."

Stop.

'_Goodnight, Mao!'_

"age of British empires dirty-handed claw-footed paddle-footed goggle-eyed snot-nosed son of a can't cut it why didn't boss make it quicker weird guy on boat for free slacker won't work..."

Stop.

'_Sweet dreams, Mao!'_

"In dreams, I walk with you..."

Mao tried to withdraw, in frantic haste but to no avail. All the control he had once possessed over his Geass was now a mere memory; And these days, each such contact was a torture beyond anything imaginable.

The intelligence behind the last thought was massive, brooding, grief-stricken...and completely insane. The man behind the intelligence was the steersman of the little craft; A little probing gave the truth. The usual truth. A happy family, A good job. A stable life.

Then war, death and schizophrenia.

Mao had learned from certain dangerous children that there was a terrible danger of other wills overpowering one's own. It had been easy to control when he had CC with him. But then had come the runway; and loneliness; andImust ...AndIcannotevenpray...ForIhavenoGod...

Stop. Stop. STOP.

Mao wrested control back. He still existed; He had his will; He was human. He was master of his own mind. He will succeed. He will find CC.

'_Go to sleep, Mao'_

Mao fell asleep.

He woke up to find his hands and legs tied up and his mouth gagged. The thoughts of the men surrounding him were ugly and garbled. The captain of the smugglers, the one he'd blackmailed for free passage stood over him with a wide grin on his face.

"Sorry, mate! But it appears that Duncan here has some work with you..."

Mao looked towards the Britannian customs officer standing by the captain.

"White-haired Chinese male with visor and headphones matches the description I've got promises to keep lord Jeremiah will be pleased Never gonna run about and desert you hurt you superintendent Jenks said the one to get him gets promotion I win I win party with Isabel..."

* * *

><p>Mr Albert Wittering frowned as he glared at the youth standing nonchalantly in front of him. The student had repeatedly ignored his threats to drop him from the course if the former didn't get his attendance in order-not that any of that actually counted after yesterday's staff meeting. Lelouch Lamperouge was an extremely popular person in Ashford; Kesselring privately felt that 'extremely popular' was a tag that a student could do without. Lamperouge never had the best attendance in class- something that was a common refrain during every single staff meeting, but his actions in the past two months had been nothing short of scandalous. Every single one of his teachers had raised his issue during the previous day's staff meeting. Heaven only knew what kind of hold Lamperouge had over old man Ashford.<p>

"I'll be honest with you, Mr Lamperouge. While I can't find any fault with your grades...actually, I'm pretty certain you're very good; A diamond in the rough, If I may say so...but 21% attendance in two months? Frankly, I'm surprised why Mr Ashford hasn't been questioning you directly."

"He knows my reasons...They're a bit personal, so I'm sure that you understand why he isn't sharing them." Lamperouge spoke apologetically, however that smug look on his face told Kesselring something else.

"Family troubles, Mr Lamperouge? Come now, I have been teaching for over 30 years! I've heard every excuse in the book, sir and a few that aren't. Next, you might be telling me that you're fighting against Zero! Your assignment yesterday was the fifth you've missed since the semester started. Any opinions I need to hear?"

"I'm sure that you can be as accommodating as Ms Hubert and Ms Jenkins. The Principal can vouch for me."

Kesselring sighed and rubbed his brows in annoyance. Technically, the boy was correct and Ashford had asked them to help him out..."Very well, Mr Lamperouge. I have to admit your persuasion skills are as good as your grades...if not better. Though, I believe Mr Ashford did much of the work for you this time around. Run along now..."

With a frown, Wittering watched the supposedly-lazy and unfit boy race out of the office as if his clothes were on fire. With kids like him, was it any wonder that the world was going to the dogs?

* * *

><p><em>The rain fell in great torrents; erasing the day and turning the sky into one great hue of grey. Storm clouds rumbled ominously, as dark as twilight upon Atlantis and as tortured as Humanity itself.<em>

_Two small girls stared out into the rain. The youngest one's face was curiously blank and the elder one was worried because of it, but lacked the will and the strength to seek help or even speak. They had been sitting there together for hours; not a word had passed between the two in the interval and fittingly, the rain hadn't stopped for a single moment the entire time._

_The servants had been frantic when the two sisters didn't respond to their calls and within a few hours, the initial soft knocks had been replaced by great blows which rattled the doors. Yet, none of the two moved...Neither of them could've managed it even if they tried._

_The elder one heard a small whimper and after checking, found that her sister was running a slight fever. She knew that she should open the doors; a single call would bring the servants rushing in and then, family...Family that wouldn't even care how they were doing, simply because their mother's family hadn't agreed with their father when he spoke of change._

_She wiped her tears and discovered that she'd been crying. Her sister closed her eyes and sobbed softly and the shadows in the room appeared to grow even longer._

_There was a sharp report of a gun and the door fell with a great crash. The two year-old didn't move, but her elder sister spoke sharply, "Who's there? How dare you force upon the door to an Imperial Princess' room?" Her face hardened when she saw the visitor; a look that seemed completely alien on the face of a small child._

"_You!" she spat out as their visitor walked upto them and tried to embrace them. "Go away! How dare you enter this house?"_

_The figure didn't reply, nor did she make a sound as Cornelia slapped her and tried to stop it from touching them. Cornelia pushed her away one last time and then, seeing a chance, grabbed the handgun that the woman was carrying in her holster. She warned, "Don't think I don't know who you are. You were the one who killed my uncle and grandfather!"_

"_I'm sorry!" their visitor whispered._

"_But that wasn't all was it? You were the one who killed grandmother and my cousins! Mother hated you! And you show your face here when she can no longer protect us! Have you come to kill us as well? Why don't you answer me, you...you stupid commoner idiot!"_

_The visitor hugged them both; and Cornelia found the gun slipping from her grasp. She sobbed, "Let me go! Let me go or I will shoot you and...Leave me...Leave us alone, you witch!"_

_The figure simply repeated her words like a child and Cornelia saw that she was crying, "I'm sorry." And hugged the two sisters tighter._

_Euphy woke up then. She rubbed her eyes and mumbled, "I don't feel well, Nelly...I don't want Mommy to go, Nelly. Call Mommy, Nelly. I don't...Are you my Mommy? Can you take me to her?"_

* * *

><p>Suzaku smiled as he watched his friends crowd around his bed. The entire student Council had come down to meet him the moment Lelouch had come to know of his injuries. How he'd done so was beyond Suzaku's imagination- his participation in battle was classified after all. But the Prince probably had every noble in Area 11 in his pocket. The Austin the Council had come in was proof of that.<p>

Everyone-Milly, Rivalz, Shirley, Karen, even Nina were sitting by his bed. Lelouch was by the window; apparently too hurt to even "speak with a so-called friend who won't even call us to say what the hell happened to him."

Milly had brought a huge basket of food for him, "We prepared it for you together. Even Nunnally. She sends you her love. Not Lelouch though!" She said with an annoyed frown, "When we asked him for help, he said he'd send you a bottle of poison if your death-wish wasn't working out!"

Suzaku laughed, "I would've been surprised if he'd said anything else_." 'I wonder Lelouch, what you would say if you knew the truth about me...'_

"I'm sorry, Suzaku!"Rivalz said in a subdued voice, "You see, I thought the Black Knights were cool and great. I wrote on many forums and sites that they were all great and all, after Kawaguchi and even after Narita when they fought the army. I'd like to apologize!"

Suzaku interrupted him, "It was battle, wasn't it? They were simply doing what they were told. They were wrong of course; I think they're being led astray by Zero. But at least I did well, I think..."

He had done well, hadn't he? Obeyed Princess Euphemia's orders. Protected the Viceroy until reinforcements arrived. Defeated Zero even when he played that dishonourable trick. Made the Ace of the Black Knights retreat.

A year ago, he couldn't have imagined being so happy. He'd simply been a faceless private in a reconnaissance company, with no friends and no opportunities. His dreams of bringing peace were simply will-o-wisps in the distance.

But all that had changed. The Lancelot had changed his life, just as Lloyd-san had promised. He found Lelouch and Nunnally. He'd met with Princess Euphemia. He'd made all these friends at Ashford. He could finally make a difference-protect everyone, bring peace to Japan. He could handle any numbers of battles and injuries if that was the case.

Every time he watched Lelouch sit by Nunnally's side during meals, every time he watched Milly lord over the Student Council, every time he saw Shirley thank him for helping her with Lelouch, every time he saw princess Euphemia smile- He was reminded of his determination to help and protect everyone.

"Lelouch is being selfish!"Shirley said with a huff while looking at the corner where he sat, reading a book."Just because he spent the day lazing about, doesn't mean others didn't have problems!" Her face fell and her voice grew soft, "Many of my father's colleagues were killed by that landslide; He escaped though! When he came to, he was lying in his car on the outskirts of the town. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember what happened." She smiled and said, "Mother says he probably had too much to drink and needs looking after. Is it true that the Black Knights caused that landslide?"

Suzaku nodded.

"Why that's really bad! They should've thought of the civilians first- they're saying that more than a hundred innocent people died. What's the matter, Karen? Are you feeling ill?"

The girl had been unusually quiet during the visit. But Suzaku had seen her stealing glances at Lelouch when nobody was looking. He thought, _'Shirley better watch out!' _

Lelouch stayed behind as the others filed out. Taking a chair near Suzaku's bed, he started without preamble,"Euphy wrangled this room for you, didn't she?"

"Actually, it was Princess Cornelia."

Lelouch nodded and said, "You're that white Knightmare's pilot, aren't you? The one they call Lancelot."

"How did you...no wait, I don't want to know the answer..."

The two of them remained silent for a while. Through the window, Suzaku watched a white cloud go by.

Lelouch grinned and leant back, "You're a fool."

"I know."

The two friends watched another white cloud float by...

* * *

><p>"What do you mean it's wrong?" growled Andreas Darlton. He ordered the terrified accountants to recheck the records again and was flipping through the tables himself when Princess Cornelia spoke, "It seems useless, Darlton. I don't think that it's the work of any run-of-the-mill fraud..."<p>

Darlton answered her. "Neither do I, your Highness. But even then, a ruling here could work wonders in determining why Area 11's finances are in such bad shape. Sixty million stolen in a few days is too much, even for a place as corrupt as Area 11. This has to be part of a larger conspiracy."

"Anything like the recent propaganda madness among the Elevens?" asked Guilford. The Black Knights had taken advantage of the ongoing political and social chaos in Tokyo to ramp up recruitment and funding operations. Zero had become the latest media sensation and each new speech or video by him was lapped up by Elevens and Britannians alike. The Princess had attempted to ban the videos, even blacklisting the media outlets that covered his attempts at rebellion.

However, Zero's madness appeared to have soaked into everybody in Area 11. The editors of the magazine 'Eleven' had literally called protest marches through Marlowe Street when the Government tried to censor their articles. Worse, local papers in vernacular were being established in ghettos and towns across Area 11; despite the ban on Japanese media.

Darlton answered his comrade's question. "Not necessarily; all it proves is that the senate and the bureaucracy here are completely useless. As if their hobnobbing with the NAC wasn't bad enough...Your Highness, what should we do about the activities at Lisgen Shipping? My contact is sure that they're designing weapons somewhere..."

"That man is one of the sponsors of the Babel Towers complex, isn't he? Guilford, Darlton, do you really believe that such a person will be helping Elevens?"

"Once, I believed that a Britannian would never betray his Nation. We have to be completely sure, My Lady!"

* * *

><p>Stupid Princess! Stupid Zero! Stupid Rakshata! Stupid Kururugi! Stupid terrorist pilot! They'd ruined his Lancelot! Evil, manipulative, alien, tyrannical pigs- all of them! He'll complain to Prince Schniezel. He'll call the Emperor and ask for protection for the Lancelot. That evil Zero had blown his machine up after he'd lost! Cheater! Then, that Radiation Wave arm had exploded when Kururugi broke it- as if his creation hadn't been abused enough!<p>

He'd demanded funds for repair but it'll take at least a fortnight to complete the job. Thankfully, the core body and the engines were fine. Funny, he could've sworn that...No, he had seen nothing! Quick, before Cecile returns! Poor Lancelot, Poor Robot! Lloyd is sorry; He was careless and you got hurt...Though, it was mostly their fault! We hates them...My precious...

Both Cecile and Princess Euphemia had been angry at him when they'd learnt that the White Knightmare lacked an ejection seat. But he needed the money for swords! He wanted four swords! They hadn't even spared the glance for poor Lancelot when it was brought in! Simply swarmed all over Kururugi! Unbelievable! Kururugi could repair himself, couldn't he? But the Lancelot needed Silicon Carbide, Titanium, Sakuradite and loving care.

Lloyd shook his head. What was the world coming to?

* * *

><p>Shirley skipped down the path to the Ashford clubhouse. While it was nice that her father had shifted to the Tokyo Main Office and so was able to meet his family every day, there were friends at Ashford whose company she would never get tired of being in. Even if they were obnoxious, lazy, spoiled people presently bunking class and sitting on the Clubhouse's porch.<p>

"Anything the matter, Shirley?" asked Lelouch as she took a seat and helped herself to some tea.

Shirley nodded, and answered him, "Of course! You, who else? Lelouch, what are you doing? Today's the fourth day you've bunked class in as many days and it was the same story the past two weeks! You do realize that such sloth affects your future prospects, don't you?"

"It's not a big deal, Shirley," remarked Lelouch unconcernedly, infuriating his friend even more. "After all, Mr Ashford has been kind enough..."

"That's exactly the point!" exclaimed Shirley. "It's not right that you have to go around taking favours from everyone. What would've you done if Mr Ashford hadn't been so willing to stick his head out for you?"

"Then...I would've to reason with him. But, Shirley, Aren't you missing this class as well? You shouldn't have done something like that just to talk with me!" asked Lelouch, with what appeared to be a curious expression on his face. In reply, the redhead furiously blushed and said rapidly, "It's nothing like that. Someone has to look out for you, that's all! Milly and Nina won't do anything and Rivalz and Karen, you know how they are! Your education is too important to leave to..."

"Thank you."

"Ehhh," Shirley stammered as her rant was cut off. There was it again; a statement that just didn't feel right...

Ever since the day he had got separated from Rivalz, Lelouch had been rather distant and separate from them. Though he did spend time with them, talk and enjoy like the days of old; it seemed like...he was making an effort, merely acting with them. She had noticed him with Nunnally too. It was the same there too; It was as if a curious film had descended between him and the rest of the World; and Lelouch was desperately trying to pretend that nothing was wrong. The present Lelouch just didn't seem like her old friend at all.

Lelouch had agreed to go out with her that day; but their 'date', if one could call it so, hadn't been as she'd expected. While there were no apparent problems as such, there was that same inexplicable film of hesitation and wistfulness on Lelouch's actions. She was about to answer when Lelouch asked her the last question she expected, "What do you think about Zero, Shirley? You don't seem to support him...I mean; you didn't seem to think much about the Narita incident..."

Shirley frowned at his question. Her poor father had been terribly cut up about the loss of some of his closest friends; and the stories circulating in the press weren't helping matters. While it was true that some Elevens weren't content with the colonization, was it really necessary for Zero to bury dozens of civilians alive under an avalanche? It wasn't as if it were only Britannians who died because of his callousness. Many Eleven and Honorary Britannian families had also been devastated by Zero's actions.

"That's true in a sense," mused Lelouch as she told him her opinions, "But don't you think that it's strange that not a single Jap...Eleven is blaming Zero for his recklessness? After all, his popularity and infamy has only increased since then! You can't deny that he is giving the Elevens a banner to rally under, can you?"

"Lelouch, nothing justifies what he's doing! Many of those killed at Narita were my father's closest friends; I've known some of them and their families for years!" Shirley protested, "I know that he's rather moderate when compared to the other terrorists, but he's still a terrorist, isn't he?

Lelouch sighed in reply and leaned back in his chair. An outsider, or maybe even Nina or Karen, would've described him as behaving as usual but Shirley was able to discern something off about her crush. During their short conversation about Zero, Lelouch had been the very image of a detached, cultured outside observer, but the strange light in his eyes had been...frightening. It didn't suit him at all; and she was sure that Lelouch wasn't the type of person to idolize non-conformists and rebels... "I never guessed that you would be so interested in Zero!"

"Why not? He's all that you hear about these days! They got a new tape of him crying over the lack of disaster response teams for Elevens in Tokyo, not that Cornelia will do anything about it."

"No, it's just that...it's actually more of Rivalz's thing...After all, you don't even know who he is! Why doesn't he show his face if he's so earnest about his actions...Hey Lelouch, who do think he is? You know a lot about the military and political issues in Asia, right? Is it Genbu Kururugi in disguise? Some of the girls in my dorm..."

"Never say that! Ever again!" growled Lelouch; his tone so harsh and forbidding that the girl nearly spilled her tea in fright. Shirley looked at his face and could barely repress a shudder as she saw how strained and hard it looked; For a moment, she felt that his eyes had become pools of blood. As she looked, however, Lelouch appeared to calm down. He sat down; so scared was Shirley at his sudden viciousness that she hadn't even noticed when he'd stood up.

"I'm sorry, Shirley...but...there's Suzaku here, isn't he? He has a rough time here already. Imagine what will happen if people here start spreading stupid rumours like this." He continued in a soft voice, "I know you didn't mean anything bad by it, Shirley...But you won't...You are a good person; far better than me. So, it might be difficult for you to understand how others think, how cruel they can be to people who don't fit in..."

"I'm sorry, Lelouch," whispered Shirley. "I swear, I didn't mean...I never thought..."

"On the whole, it's rather stupid actually to think about Zero as a person..."

"Pardon?"

The Vice-president ignored her and continued, "Zero's not to blame; It's the person behind the mask."

"And aren't they the same? You can't brush aside human lives like that!"

"What I'm really worried about, Shirley, is whether that person even considered the citizens of Narita town as individuals and not merely collateral! That day at the hospital, I realized that throughout I never thought...Zero isn't a person; he isn't to blame."

"And then, how can you justify dragging innocent civilians in? I know that I should be grateful to him but..."

"It simply means that, maybe, the man behind the mask...isn't the best person to be Zero at all. Please, Shirley. Let's not discuss such morbid things here...More tea, Shirley? Nunnally's classes will be over in a few minutes; won't you stay and meet her? "

* * *

><p>CC looked on disinterestedly as the Knightmares swarmed into the gigantic complex of Section-43 and soldiers of the Seventh army marched into what Lelouch considered his primary research centre. There had been virtually no warning, and with only infantry as defence; Section-43 hadn't been able to withstand the armoured cavalry for even five minutes. CC had managed to get most of the researchers out through the contingency routes Lelouch had planned for such a case; but around a quarter of them were already dead or captured.<p>

Serves them right, anyway.

She looked up and saw a Gloucester point it's MP65 at her. "Who're you?" thundered the voice from the mech.

CC didn't reply; it was boring and irritating. Darlton was a little angry at her defiance, but apart from ordering some soldiers to subdue her like the others, did nothing. CC used the precious few moments she got to give the captured researchers a few instructions. At this point, she wasn't really worried about the course of events; they would be packed off to jail, a few stupid conversations and maybe torture, by simpletons who'd never even heard of the inquisition. And then wait for Lelouch to rush in and make a fool of himself again.

She hoped that they made pizza in the Imperial prisons. All she had to do was keep a low profile and avoid drawing attention to herself.

"You there!"

CC turned; the voice was strangely familiar and...

The Second Princess stood there, her brows scrunched up in confusion.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere? Why can't I remember clearly...?"

CC sighed. Lelouch was going to be so mad at her.

* * *

><p>"If you ever needed more proof that the entire family is insane, Norville, you've got it today!"<p>

"Sir, please be...I mean, you're disrespecting the crown."

"Disrespecting a bunch of nutters, Norville! Go ahead, report me! Might as well snuff it in Pendragon as in the North Sea. Don't tell me that you've started worshipping this...this insanity as well!"

"Well Spruance, it's Imperial policy and His Highness has assured me that he knows what he's doing."

"What I want to know, boy, is what he thinks he's doing! He assured me that the he won't do anything until I get my fleets modernized and upgraded. I don't even have any of those new rail guns!"

"We have assurances..."

"I can't shoot with assurances! I need guns!"

With those words, Fleet Admiral Raymond Spruance stormed out of the room with an energy that belied his seventy years, all the while spouting insults and ideas that would've spelt death for a lesser man or rather, a more disposable man. The Fleet Admiral was a military genius and acknowledged as such by even the previous Emperor. The former Knight of Four was in a league of his own; even among men like Prince Schniezel, Pershing and the Emperor himself.

"He's very angry, isn't he?" came a soft voice behind the young captain. Prince Schniezel went on, "Not that I blame him; I feel like I've betrayed him."

"It's not that, Your Highness! The Admiral is simply a little depressed after Admiral Browning's death..."

"It's not that!" replied the Prince with a weary smile on his lips. "I believe...he understands the real reason why I decided to go ahead with the recommendations of the nobles; and naturally, he doesn't approve of it. In the end, whatever the matter be, it's my fault."

"Sir?"

"Tell me, Captain; would you like a post in Cambodia?"

"Area 10? That's generous, sir but I have my duties at Honolulu and I can't desert the Fleet when it's short-handed and since, you said that things will be moving soon... But if it's really necessary, maybe I can talk with the Admiral."

Prince Schniezel nodded. "Of course! I will not dream of provoking the Fleet Admiral any more than I've already done!" he said with a smile. "After all, He and Admiral Nimitz were the reason why we are the Lords of the World's seas...But still, he's getting on in years isn't he?"

Captain Norville said stiffly, "He's our Fleet's pride, Your Highness! And the best Admiral in the Imperial Navy. Admiral Pershing says that..."

"Don't...Let's talk about something else, my dear friend! We have a long and difficult time ahead of us, and arguing about the armed forces isn't what we should be doing in our last days of peace. Come with me; and we can have a toast...To the unforgettable country! Our England.

* * *

><p>"The so-called Don Otti has been assassinated, possibly by Cali's gunmen. We've successfully closed down most smuggling rings in Kyushu; Lord Malcolm has been rather off-colour lately but I'm confident that he will be upto the job in Houriki. Lord Darlton busted three Black Knight's cells including one of his propaganda centres; we believe that Hi-TV's creative head, one..."<p>

Cornelia completed his sentence, "Diethard Reid. I liked his reporting. One of the best in the World. But enough with this! What about that weird facility we raided? Is she talking yet?"

Guilford fidgeted uneasily. Their raid upon the erstwhile Section-43 had been one of their greatest successes in Area 11; or so they had believed at first. The organizers of the heist on the Fisheries department had been careful, but they hadn't accounted for the Seventh Army's exceptional intelligence wings. In less than three days, they had analyzed the flow of money and isolated five places of interest within the Tokyo metropolitan region. Finally they had decided upon Section-43, principally because of the gargantuan amounts of energy and chemicals the little unregistered research site was using.

They still hadn't finished inspecting the premises; the place was vast enough to house entire battalions. Most of the place appeared to be dedicated to what appeared to be human experimentation. However if any such experiment had ever been conducted there; there was no sign of them now. In a way, it was a mercy for the captured scientists- His Lady would've never allowed them to live if they'd been involved in such barbarous acts.

Guilford had no doubt that most of the researchers had escaped during their raid; the equipment and the machines within the complex were too many and complex to be operated by the two dozen men they'd apprehended. Most of the machines and research had been confusing and unexplainable- as in the case of the great room they'd found in the centre of the complex. They would've been at a total loss if the Purists hadn't volunteered the services of some of their contacts at the Montgomery Institute.

However the strangest thing about the entire operation hadn't been the silent researchers or strange constructions; it had been the green-haired teenage girl they'd found at the place. She seemed to be the only normal person in the lot- so much that Lord Darlton had suggested that she might've been a captive or some kind of victim. Then, Lady Cornelia had caught sight of her from within her Knightmare.

Guilford answered Cornelia's question. "She isn't answering anything at all. We haven't been pressing her for information yet as per your orders; but it's been proved beyond doubt that she was leading that organization. Her signature was on some of the documents we obtained from the place."

"What was there anything about the funds?" asked Cornelia in an eager voice. "Apart from that, what is Section-43 anyway?"

Guilford's face hardened. He took out a small CD from his pocket and handed it over to the second Princess. As she entered it inside her PC, he went on. "The planners were extremely efficient, whoever they were. The records had been deleted and we suspect that most researchers had escaped by the time we broke through the booby traps there. This CC seems to have stayed there simply to spite us. As for the ones we've captured...you can see for yourself..."

The Viceroy's face wore a sceptical expression when the disk started playing. At the end of the short video, her hands were shaking. "That's...all? Nothing? They react to nothing?"

"At this point, all of them are little better than vegetables. She did something to them when we left all of them alone. That's why I want to ask you to reconsider your decision! Please don't interrogate her yourself! As you Knight, it is my duty to ensure that nothing happens to you!"

* * *

><p>"I'm dog tired, my boy," mumbled Lord Karius Winston Malcolm, the Earl Ventcrest, as he chugged back his Seltzer and Scotch. He gestured to one of the waiters to fill his glass and continued, "Fact is, Jerry, I can't go on looking after all these crazy requests of yours. I've my hands full with Mr Bearface and this...Mao, was it?"<p>

Lord Jeremiah Gottwald answered, "I know, Carl; I really appreciate your efforts, more than you realize. You've followed my instructions regarding the Chink, haven't you?" He went on as the Earl grunted in acquiescence. "Good! I'm sure that this Mao is one of Zero's contacts in China. His evidence will be vital in convicting him when he's caught."

"If he's caught, you mean," grumbled Lord Malcolm as he drained his glass. "At the rate things are going, I'll be having a heart attack soon."

"You don't think you're upto the task?"

Lord Malcolm grimaced and said bitterly, "Chance? I have a godamnned snowball's chance in hell. The TSPD is ill funded and undermanned and led by a madman! Jenks wasn't the most astute of people but it's ridiculous these days! We extracted a ceasefire deal from Cali and then, the High Priest of the Seventh Army has to interfere in our turf! I blame them both for Otti's death!"

"What did they do?" asked Jeremiah.

"Ruined the deal we had with Cali! We'd come to an understanding with the Calis and the Finettos; and then Lord Darlton turns up crying about consorting with criminals and Zero runs about free while we and the families are fighting with each other! I've been telling Jenks to stop obeying every small whim of theirs, but he just doesn't listen! What am I supposed to do with this mess?"

Jeremiah raised his eyebrows in surprise. He asked in a confused tone, "Carl, surely you aren't blaming the military for trying to reduce crime? And above all, the personal unit of..."

"Jerry," Karl explained in a long-suffering voice, "The police in Tokyo depended on organized syndicates for many...Don't look so surprised! Jerry, you can't deny that this system kept the lunatics and the Elevens in line! Come on, life isn't Black and White like you military types believe. Well, to keep things in perspective, young Duncan, the one who fished out your man, is a two-bit enforcer for Vinci...Well, what's left of him anyway. I have had to turn him in to get away from Lord Darlton when he started looking into my files."

"Isn't that...You've changed, Carl," Lord Jeremiah sighed and stood up. "His Highness was right; you're no longer the person you were."

"His Highness? Jerry, what are you talking about?"

Someone took the seat by Lord Malcolm's side. The Earl turned and found a raven-haired teen with eyes that looked like two points of cold ice. The boy harshly commanded Jeremiah, "Leave this place, Orange! You were reckless with your attempts at damage control. You should've waited for instructions."

"I beg forgiveness, Your Highness," Lord Jeremiah said apologetically, to the great surprise of Lord Malcolm. Surely, this wasn't how the arrogant Margrave behaved! He stammered, "Jerry, what's this? Who the hell is this boy?"

"Quiet, Malcolm! Stop pestering Jeremiah and...Yes, thank you, Mr Witherspoon! Now, Malcolm, look at me. Look at me! LOOK AT ME!"

* * *

><p>"Put it down there, Rivalz! Thanks!" exclaimed Karen as she and Shirley helped the boy prepare for the cooking festival. The President had been adamant that they prepare an event that Suzaku could participate in; and though Karen wasn't sure that Suzaku would recover in time, she and the rest of the Council had no choice but to go by her orders.<p>

Everyone, except Lelouch. Karen gritted her teeth in rage as she noticed his chair, empty as usual- but maybe it was just her luck that the two people she wanted to question the most were nowhere to be found. While meeting Suzaku alone was next to impossible currently, she'd hoped that at least, Lelouch would answer a few of her questions. But it was not to be; the only time she'd met him after Narita was at the Council's hospital visit. Almost a week had passed since then and yet she was here, wasting her time with silly parties and cosplays...

Rivalz collapsed onto a chair and complained, "Sheesh! This is boring; How about you guys? Finished yet?"

Shirley replied with a sigh of relief, "I'm done too! Say, Rivalz, Do you think I can catch Lelouch if I wait for him at Suzaku's hospital?"

Karen was all ears. Why hadn't she thought of it earlier? If Lelouch and Suzaku were best friends, it won't be strange to imagine him spending most of free time keeping the invalid company. She would've done the same...

'_But you didn't...'_

Karen suppressed her thoughts and asked Shirley eagerly, "Can I come with you, Shirley? I have something important to ask him!" To her surprise, her simple request met with identical faces of shock from Shirley and Rivalz. Milly, who was sitting in the corner, started laughing. In reply to her dumbfounded stares, the Blonde said, "Don't tell me you also want to ambush Lelouch with questions and tickets like Shirley here!"

"Madam President!"

"I told you, my girl; Unless you get hold Lelouch quickly, you'll be having every girl in Ashford as your rival. You should've asked him when you cornered him that time."

Shirley protested, "Nunnally was there! I couldn't...couldn't..."

Karen almost broke into their conversation but stopped. From the looks of it, Milly and Rivalz hadn't told anybody about her mother and she wanted to keep it that way. As for Lelouch...She asked Rivalz, "Surely he doesn't stay at the Hospital all day? It's been ten days since Narita and I haven't seen him in class even once! What does he do throughout the day?"

Rivalz turned from where Shirley was desperately trying to enlist Nina's help against a rather in-form President Ashford. Scratching his head in confusion, he shrugged and replied, "Who knows? Didn't he tell you or Shirley?" Karen suppressed a groan and persisted in her inquiry. "You must be having some clue! Aren't you his gambling buddy?"

"Nope, not exactly," answered Rivalz hesitantly. "It's true that I hung around him but Lelouch was always kind of a loner. He had already started gambling when I first met with him."

Karen grinned. Lelouch, despite his holier-than-thou attitude, had chinks in his armour after all. She asked with sarcastic glee, "So the only reason he works with you is because you have a sidecar in your bike?"

"Basically, yes," came Rivalz's bland reply.

"What!' exclaimed Karen, stunned at the boy's acceptance of his friend's selfishness. She questioned him, "And yet you stick with him? He's simply using you!"

Rivalz appeared to be a bit taken aback by her suddenly aggressive manner, but recomposed himself quickly, He said with a grin, "Still trying to pick holes in my 'Lelouch the Secret Samaritan' theory, Karen? Won't work, I tell you! I was the one who bought the sidecar; mostly to bribe Lelouch to hang out with me. Even then, he didn't listen to anything I said for days! Only agreed after Milly told me to go to Nunnally for help...Never met somebody so devoted to their sibling!"

"What happened with you and him?"

"Well you see, I used to work in this part-time gambling den and I was pretty good at Chess; helped stand in for the Manager during some games. One day, I went in with this noble who was really good, the best I'd seen in ages and as you would expect, I started losing pretty bad. I was sure that I would lose the bet and since I'd got carried away while setting the amount, I would've to ask my fa...other people for loans. And then Lelouch turned up and took my place and beat the noble in thirteen minutes flat! You should've seen him that day, Karen! I...I hadn't seen someone as cool as him in my life! Still haven't! He's a walking quote machine_-'I hate people who confuse social status with ability', 'It pays to be obvious especially when you have a reputation for subtlety'_, _'Whatever I write is a prediction!'_ He's the very definition of Badass!"

Karen frowned. "I don't understand why you're so excited about him. It's just basic good manners to help a fellow student...After all; he wasn't losing anything, was he? Every one of us knows that he's good as Chess!"

Rivalz grinned, "He isn't simply good, Karen. He predicted every single move that guy made that day...And actually, he said he wasn't trying to help me at all. When I asked him, he told me that he simply wanted to see a nobleman grovel in the dust like a dog! Neat, huh?"

"He...He hates Britannian nobility?"

"Well, I won't say that. He's best friends with Milly and he never minded...But Karen, listen to me carefully, I suspect that your chances are rather low compared to Shirley. Milly won't say, but she believes that as well...Hey, Aren't you too sick to run?"

* * *

><p>Suzaku fidgeted helplessly. He felt terrible to simply lie there and watch Lelouch work himself up over some kind of problem. The Prince was sitting on his usual chair, his head in his hands and his sweat running down his brow, despite the air-conditioning turned up to max.<p>

"Lelouch," he started hesitantly. Lelouch could be almost impossible to reason with or handle if he got angry. "What happened, Lelouch? Come on, at least I can..."

"Shut the hell up and sleep."

Suzaku quietened down on hearing the sheer vitriol in Lelouch's voice. Obviously, the Prince wasn't in the best of moods. Well, at least it wasn't him who had messed anything up. He tried to joke, "If you don't want me, then how about Zero? He claims that he's the friend of the weak and it'll be difficult to find anyone weaker..."

"Any more jokes at my expense; Mr Lancelot and I might just find it amusing to take a wrench to that broken leg of yours!"

"It's fine if it makes you feel better. There's a cleaning closet right next to my door," replied Suzaku in the irritating manner that he knew was sure to get onto Lelouch's nerves. At least his friend won't drown himself in worry if he was giving Suzaku a piece of his mind.

Lelouch appeared to compose himself at Suzaku's words. He gave his friend a small smile and apologized, "I'm sorry, Suzaku. Fact is, someone has taken...a very precious thing of mine; and I just don't know how to get it back. I...I've been thinking but this opponent is too strong to defeat without showing my hand."

"Who is it?"

"You take rest, Suzaku. It's my problem and I..."

Suzaku said irritably, "Don't change the issue, Lelouch! How can I call myself a friend if I don't help you get your things back? Who took it- one of the students?"

Lelouch smirked, "And what will you do? Beat it out of them? They're Britannian and you have your stupid rules about..."

"It doesn't matter when they involve friends."

"You...Still an idiot...No; no one at Ashford has the guts to even question me. It's someone a lot bigger."

Suzaku frowned in concern. "A noble? Shirley is right, you know. You shouldn't...'

"Think Higher. It's Cornelia."

Suzaku froze. This was unbelievable; It was impossible. Was their secret exposed...? Did Lelouch think that he betrayed them...?

Lelouch started laughing. He got up and opened the windows and watched the sun set over the hills surrounding the Settlement. He remarked, "When I first saw the Sun in Japan; I'd wondered why it looked so colourless and plain when compared to the brilliant hues at home...But it wasn't true, was it? The Sun never changed. The World didn't change. I changed. And I was too dumb to see that."

Turning towards his oldest friend, Lelouch assured him, "I was joking. Surely, you aren't so stupid! It isn't Cornelia."

Suzaku grumbled ill-temperedly, "So much for almost giving me a heart attack. Well, who is it? I can ask Lloyd-san if it's a noble or something!"

Lelouch shook his head and started heading towards the door. He threw a parting remark over his shoulder, "Thank you, Suzaku!"

"For what?"

"For having faith in me...no matter how misplaced it may be."


	8. Chapter 8

**I've been waiting for Broken Crescent's Third patch...And I'm not being able to access it! ARGHHHH! **

**I finished this on Saturday itself but between one thing and the other (Mongols and Timurrids- I'm playing Turks at very hard/very hard in Medieval 2. Again. After almost a year.) I personally think that Muslims get a really raw deal in Total War; the only ones worse off are Scotland.**

**Back to my rants...Psychiatrists and lack of them in CG verse. Medical science in CGverse is a complete ass-pull. No body, absolutely nobody can survive being shot by three dozen semi-automatics and I see no reason to believe that Geass gives somebody any kind of extra physical capabilities...Unless, you believe that Lelouch is alive at the end.**

**Another thing is the complete lack of psychiatrists or any damn shrinks in the series. A modern military can't survive without shrinks. While the Britannian military isn't exactly analogous to our armies; Suzaku is shown getting a check-up (which he and his superiors completely ignore.) Then there's Nina, who actually scared me at times. Wonder why Schniezel never got her a doctor...hmmm.**

**They seem to have stamped out most communicable diseases at any rate, which is to be expected with their accelerated development and militarized governments. And then they go out on a limb and mention their Areas and the Federation's misrule (Which is asinine, for anyone who knows about the modern Chinese. Whatever they are, they aren't inefficient.) The less said of EU's Africa the better. The British ran the best and most compassionate colonial administration in history and they were well-meaning robbers at their best. Excuse my political incorrectness. I've had five different English Kings spew bullshit at me and declare crusades over 80 turns. They stopped after I conquered and exterminated London. Serves them right...Now back to my Jihad onto York; I mean, my rant...**

**Everyone was insane before the World Wars. Thankfully we're much better. And civilized. And intelligent. And handsome. And focussed. DAMN YOU INTERNET! MY DOWNLOAD WAS ALMOST COMPLETE! ARGHHHH!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Copies of original letters from the army of General Bonaparte in Moscow, intercepted by the Fifth Coalition under the command of General John Pitt, Earl of Chatham.<strong>_**With an English translation (Richmond, J. Wright, 1865-1867, 3 vols.), vol. 3, pp. 14-27.**

_TRANSLATION:__  
><em>_  
><em>_Moscow, August 22d, 1812 (Anno Domini)._

_BONAPARTE, Commander in Chief, to General KLEBER.__  
><em>_  
><em>_ANNEXED to this, Citizen General, you will find an order for you to take command of the army in the St Petersburg front. My constant apprehensions lest the English should again appear on the field, compel me to hasten my march back home by two to three weeks._

_I take with me Generals R3, R5, B2 and P2, P4._

_Enclosed you will find the English and Francfort papers (1) up to the 10th of June. You will see by them, that we have lost Palermo! That Caen, Rennes and Tortona are in a state of blockade. I have some grounds to flatter myself that the first of these places will hold out to the end of November; and I trust, if fortune smiles upon me, to be in France before the beginning of October._

_You will also find enclosed, a cipher for your correspondence with the Government; and another, for your communications with me. Therein you will find the answers to the opposition we've faced in this wasteland and the madness that takes our opponents in battle, that they froth like wild beasts and listen to neither command nor reason nor fear._

_The Commission will be returning to Paris; all save the doctors whom will be meeting your entourage, sometime in the month of September. There will you hand over your samples-which I trust you've preserved with greatest care and fealty. I cannot stress their importance strongly enough...If there ever was proof that the Devil walks the battlefields of men, you can observe it in the eyes of the Englishmen we've faced and those poor men they've caused to have fallen to France's might..._

* * *

><p>"What were you doing in Section-43? Who're you really?" asked the Viceroy of Area 11, as calm and patient as she'd been when the interrogation began five hours ago.<p>

They were sitting in a small, soundproof room; with a wall of toughened steeltite glass dividing it into two. In one half, sat Princess Cornelia in a high-backed chair. Behind her, stood her Knight Guilford. In the other half of the room, sat a green-haired girl who looked as if she was bored out of her skin already.

Guilford grimaced in irritation as the girl ignored the questions of his Lady once again and went on playing with her hair. Finally, she spoke, "I've told you again and again! I won't be answering anything until..."

"Your pizza is on the way," sighed Cornelia. "At least you can behave civilly until then! We knew each other once, didn't we?"

"Nope! You don't even know my name! Simply because we lived in the same house for a few years, doesn't mean that we became friends!" replied the girl with a broad grin on her face. "Nelly, my love! To think you're speaking so politely to me! And here, I was expecting you to start with the threats and torture already!"

Guilford frowned, but His Lady didn't seem to notice the insults. She replied, "I don't think force will work in your case...Seeing that you don't seem to have changed in the least in...Ten years?"

"Fifteen, actually. At that time, you used to hate Marianne's guts...Remember when you tried to run away from Aries Villa? Poor dear was so worried! Don't you remember, Nelly? So were Lelouch and Euphemia, whether they remember or not!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" snapped Princess Cornelia, the first time she'd lost her temper during the interview. "I've been too patient with you as it is! You're a suspected terrorist and I'm sure that..."

"You're boring, Nelly! Fine, Fine! Section-43 is his property. He stole it from someone else and has been expanding it; Not that you would understand anything about it. Let me assure you that your actions haven't affected him in the slightest. He has more installations and the data and most researchers were smuggled out when you came."

Cornelia answered coldly, "And you're here, my dear, no matter who you are. Once I clear the issue of Empress Marianne's assassination, I will hand you over to Schniezel and he'll get more out of you than anyone. And then, you'll be praying for me to come and rescue you!"

To the Princess and the Knight's surprise, the girl started laughing. She had a clear, bell-like laugh- and right now, she was laughing as if she'd heard the greatest joke in the World. She calmed down when Guilford started yelling at her to pay attention to them.

"Sorry," she said, while wiping the tears from her eyes, "all this talk of blood and torture, it cracks me up. Especially when it's coming from you- what will Euphy say?"

"You told Zero about Euphy, didn't you? You little..."

Guilford broke in. The way things were going, he was sure that His Lady would lose her cool and kill the girl; and currently she was their only link to Zero. He demanded, "Tell us about Zero! Stop procrastinating! Remember that you're a prisoner and we can arrange a more lenient sentence for you. If you're expecting the Black Knights to rescue you..."

"Depends whether he brings them..."

Cornelia narrowed her eyes. "Why? Aren't they your allies? And with Zero's talk of justice?"

The girl's pizza arrived and Guilford slid it through the oblong opening in the wall. Despite her earlier grim statements, the girl squealed in delight and started tucking in with gusto. She spoke between mouthfuls. "I'm...not exactly sure...It's one thing to lead by example with ten men at your back. It is wholly another to lead ten thousand." She cocked her head and looked Cornelia with a piercing, questioning gaze. "It is still another thing to walk alone; and charge into battle with the World."

"So you're implying that we're underestimating the strength of the Black Knight forces?" asked Cornelia sceptically.

"No. I'm not thinking about the Black Knights at all. I'm only wondering which one of his masks he will be wearing when he finally attacks."

Guilford almost raised his voice in anger; but his Lady silenced him with a glance. She didn't look satisfied with the way things had gone- this was apparent from her bearing. As she got up, she spoke, "To tell you the truth, I'm personally ashamed that I'd once been your acquaintance. The Empress would've been hurt to see you consorting with enemies of Britannia! You can sit there and..."

"History comforts the dull of wit," said the girl quietly. She spoke no more until the Princess and the Knight left the room.

It was then that she sunk into her chair and stared blankly at the ceiling. Softly, she replied to a question that no one else could hear, "You're right, Marianne. She ought to be glad that he wears a mask...I know that he is."

* * *

><p><em>She walked and then crawled through the bodies that covered the small flood-created island like a million bloody carpets; Cannons, Bombards, Howitzers and Parisian Serpentines dotted the battlefield and about a mile distant, rose the carcass of a war machine she didn't recognize. The fires were burning out in the direction of what had once been the town of Reading...save for those flames which still flared continuously with a greenish hue and which no water could extinguish. The legendary Byzantine fires, the semi-mythical flames of hell- fires which she'd last seen four centuries earlier during Sultan Mahmud the Second's siege of Constantinople. The carcasses of over fifty thousand horses and three hundred thousand Englishmen rotted under the storm clouds; keeping them company were two corps of the Grand Armee.<em>

_The Emperor had invaded at the head of the greatest war machine ever seen on Earth. He would not live to lead it again._

_She stopped as soon as she reached a place of shelter. The hovel she was in, if it could still be called that, had a roof even now, and what's more, commanded an excellent view of the field. The Thames had stopped rising; but with the rains not letting up, the girl was sure that disease would decimate the..._

_She heard a small, hastily suppressed cough. In one fluid movement, she turned and let off two shots from her two pistols. Then, she realized who it was and heaved a sigh of relief when she observed that none of her shots had connected. With a grin, she said, "I'm pleased to note that His Lordship is still breathing!"_

_Even at the end of five days of constant battle, Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1__st__ Duke of Wellington, Commander-in-Chief of the British Imperial Army and Field Marshall of the Doomed, Seventh and Last Alliance against the might of the Emperor, looked as calm and collected as he'd looked when he'd met her an year ago in an empty Balmoral Castle._

_Straight as a spear, an eye-patch covering his left eye, his lean face wind-burned to the colour and consistency of old leather, great gouts of blood staining his garments, he strode into the centre of the little house and narrowed his eyes when he recognized the girl sitting near the sole window._

"_I felt that I would be meeting you before the end." He sighed as he drew a flask from his jacket, found that it'd stopped a bullet for him and flung it to the ground. "Do go on; I will be grateful for some ill-news to sober myself before I meet him." He didn't need to explain who 'He' was; everyone in the World knew who 'He' was._

_The girl took her time before speaking. "How many days ago where you shot? Your arm will fall off if..."_

"_The French are using Congreve rockets. Bladed Congreve rockets- just like the Mysore kings used to use! They've even changed their strategy as per the Mujahidin!"_

"_What's that?"_

"_Emperor Tipu Sultan's book on rocketry. Recommended reading for lunatics, Madame! Lunatics and Generals- not that there is any difference between the two... I learnt about rockets first when he sent a barrage at me at Sultanpet," he stated emotionlessly. "Ricardo was the one, wasn't he?"_

"_If you want to know who leaked your movements to him; yes, it was Ricardo."_

"_I suspected so...Good for him! And good for Jolly old England! The refugees need a protector after all. I only hope that I bought them enough time...But see here, Madame, I have Halman's standard here and my gun is nought for kindling now. I have the fullest intention of making this little hovel the last stretch of English soil in Europe...This reminds me, is Liverpool still standing?"_

"_The Catholics took it four days ago. As for London, he spent three days there and..."_

_He stiffened while affixing the battered St George's Cross to the hovel's broken roof. In a dull voice, he requested her, "Don't speak of London anymore. She was beautiful and gracious when I first saw here; she will still be beautiful and gracious when I die here alone."_

"_Alone?"_

_He jumped down; two guns sounded close to them. Sitting on the remains of a bed, he told her, "You should leave this place. Take my signet ring to him and tell him that it was my last request to give you shelter. The flag is unmistakable. I'm sure that the French will be here in a few minutes. What about India? The Garrison at Calcutta..."_

"_Fell two months ago. I'm surprised you didn't know."_

_He laughed softly and then, as suddenly as he had begun, fell silent. Together, the two looked at the rain falling, falling, falling..._

_There was a polite knock on what remained of the door. At Wellesley's answer, their visitor entered, hat in hand and alone. He made for the only chair in the room and asked whether pray, he could take a seat, monsieur? The elements outside were most vexing to a gentleman._

"_Please do, my friend!" said the Briton courteously. "Also, permit me to congratulate you on your impeccable command over the language! But...Why are you here alone?"_

"_Alone, Monsieur? The whole of Earth declared war against me. Not France, against me! Am I a nation, Monsieur, that you must treat me so?"_

"_Your mere presence on the field makes the difference of a hundred thousand men- or so I've always have said...But, you didn't answer my question. Where are your bodyguards? Why are you here alone?"_

"_Is it any surprise, Monsieur? The last Englishman still fighting for England! Who else could it be, but you! Come now; give me that much credit at least! Though, I'd hoped to meet in more pleasant environs." He gestured around the room with his right arm and in doing so, his eyes fell on the girl sitting near the window- he hadn't noticed her earlier._

_His genial manner vanished and he clenched his teeth. In a frigid tone, he demanded of the Duke, "You know her?"_

_The girl broke her silence, "You're doing very well, my Emperor! Didn't I tell you that you would go far? Well, you've managed even without my gifts, haven't you"_

_The man ignored her. To the Briton, he said bitterly, "Another one of you! You were the reason, weren't you? Well, what is it? Your devil-borne power?"_

"_Absolute Inspiration...Absolute Insanity would be more fitting."_

_There was silence in the tiny room while Emperor and Soldier and Immortal sat silent for what seemed to be hours. Finally, the first of them spoke, "I cannot comment upon this. My Lord, You will be juror and judge of this...May I hear your verdict?"_

_The Field Marshal bowed his head and said softly, "Death." And then more loudly, "Emperor, this victory proves that we English are right and you French are wrong, aren't I correct?"_

"_Madness..." muttered the Emperor as he drew a blade from the depths of his still blood-stained greatcoat._

_The girl could've sworn that Arthur Wellesley looked up then with an air of inexplicable relief, lifted his gaze to greet the gift, as the steel entered his left eye-socket, tore the red sigil deforming his eye, dashed apart the bone, shattered his brow, sank deep into his brain and killed him instantly. She could've also sworn that as the figure of the Greatest Englishman of the age crumpled like an old cloth and fell, the Emperor was crying at the futility of it all..._

_She never saw him in person again. But his heart and hand and dream, she saw each day in the hearts and hands and dreams of humanity for centuries after._

* * *

><p>The man switched off the phone and looked blankly at his master. The latter was sitting silently; he hadn't spoken a word after giving Lord Darlton's spy his instructions an hour ago and yet, none of the others in the room had betrayed a single sign of impatience or frustration in that interval.<p>

To an outsider, it would seem august company indeed- the Police Commissioner of Tokyo Settlement, Area 11. The Brigade Commander, Eleventh army Military Police. Former Head of the Purist faction of the Eleventh Army. The Head of the largest private company in Area 11. The last scion of the Shinozaki family. And now, the latest to join them - the Chief Intelligence officer of the Seventh army.

"I've ensured that the anti-aircraft batteries will be down when you attack. Stay out of trouble, Carrigan- I don't think Darlton will be fooled a second time. Are the preparations complete, Jeremiah?" Lelouch Vi Britannia asked without raising his eyes from his laptop.

"Yes, My Lord! We're aiming for a time-frame of 2 hours- maybe less if Ms Shinozaki here can manage it."

"Trust in her, Jeremiah; she will do it! Sayoko-san?"

The maid curtsied and replied softly, "I pledge to complete this task for you, Lelouch-sama. I already have made the required preparations for infiltration. A distraction, at this point, isn't as important as..."

"Everything's important," said the Prince coldly, "And if you two don't cooperate with each other, everything will come to nought! What will Nunnally say when she sees the two of you bickering! I thought I'd already cleared up our policy on racism!"

"I apologize, My Lord!"

"I apologize too, Lelouch-sama. I pledge to..."

"This is ridiculous..."muttered Lelouch as he marched out of the room. It had been a hectic week and he had barely slept at all throughout the entire time, but now thankfully, it was all coming to a close. Glancing at his watch, he found that if he rushed, there was just enough time to attend the third class of the morning. The last day of normalcy before the battle started.

* * *

><p>"What more proof can we need!" yelled General Katase. "Look here, gentlemen, it has been proved beyond doubt that this Zero character is only using us Japanese in some kind of plot of his own! He killed brave soldiers of the JLF while protecting a Britannian princess; my man..."<p>

"Traitor," stated the youngest of the Heads of the Six houses of Kyoto.

"Izumi-san said that he decided to intervene at Kawaguchi only after he saw the Princess among the hostages! Also he's a Britannian! What else can we say about that!"

The Chairman said coldly, "If you remember clearly, General, It was you who called us mere minutes after the incident apologizing for Kusakabe's actions. Or have you forgotten that your lack of control over your subordinates nearly lost us all moral justification for our cause?"

"As if Britannians care for morals..."

"At any rate," went on another of the Heads, "We can't take any rash decisions without sacrificing our position. What about the Black Knights themselves? How are they reacting to Zero's nationality? Our contact is too...entrenched in old ideas to respond properly."

"They're planning a coup," came the bitten-off reply.

The girl's voice responded at once, "Then stop them! Your duty to Japan precedes any kind of vendetta or anger at Zero's actions, General! Has Zero shown any signs of detecting..."

"He never stays! As if such insipid leadership can win victory for us!"

"Silence, Katase!" rang out the Chairman's voice. "We are well aware of our faults and weaknesses! Do not presume that we are being complacent over the issue!"

* * *

><p>Dr Goyal took a sip of tea delicately. Then, he carefully polished his pince-nez which he looked over, rather than through. Finally, he signed the piece of paper lying in front of him with a flourish and declared, "It's magnificent, Young Miss! The finest I've seen in my life! We will give an ad-hoc position for three months and I will recommend the Council to allow you into the Kalpakkam complex; I'm sure that no one can protest against these!"<p>

"No...You're too kind, Mr...I mean, Dr Gojal!"

"It's Goyal, Miss...Forget it, how old are you? Pardon me, but I'm curious! When you approached me during me during the conference, I had half a mind to kick you out but magnificent! You, my dear Lady, are the next Newton! You will present this today at the evening symposium. I will tell the boys to make space for you. Better still, let's go meet them now- there's Dr Smith from New York, Dr Wenger from Austin, Dr Mun Li has made a rare appearance- Great man, Dr Li..."

Nina Einstein was silent; it appeared that she'd already lost the ability to enunciate. The girl stared as the venerable, bearded professor, Head Of Department- Modern Particle Physics at the Tuticorin University in the Indian Confederacy; almost raved about the allegedly landmark paper he was holding in his hands. "Magnificent! Till now, we've only managed upto Lithium...and I'm sure Dansay was doing it wrong- Never trust a Frenchman, my dear!"

"Professor Dansay? The one who co-wrote the nucleus shape paper with you? Is he really French?"

The professor sang, "Who cares! At my age, I usually wonder whether they're still alive...Speaking of alive, my dear, Did you hear the news today? It was so shocking and terrible! God will judge such evils! Just like that Zero! So discourteous!"

"No," Nina apologized, "Is it something serious?"

"Nah! Just one of these political types...They're a waste of time and space- all of them! Stay away from them, my dear! Ah! Is that your boss? Let me shake his hand, the great man!"

"No, He's not..."

"Dear me, indeed he isn't! Mr Chain-smoker from room 405! How do you do, Mr Chain-smoker?" _('Miss Einstein, Mr Chain-smoker; Mr Chain-smoker- Did I say something wrong?_')

"Sir, what happened? Was anyone killed?"

The professor frowned as he tried to remember but to no avail. He shrugged and then, replied cheerfully, "Who cares! Now, where was I?"

"About meeting the others...And I needed some help with a project my friend is designing; I was able to come here only because the funds he'd kept for me were enough. I could only dream at one time!"

"Of course, we will help you! An equation a day keeps the Doctor away...or something like that...anyway!"

* * *

><p>"I'm bored!" complained Rivalz as he stretched himself on the clubhouse's sofa.<p>

"You've said that twenty times already today," noted Shirley blandly. "You should count your lucky stars that the President isn't here; else she'd have ensured that you couldn't say those words for the next week at least!"

"How's that my fault? There's nothing interesting to do anymore! I can't even go out to gamble and when I tried to visit Suzaku, I ran into an Officer who kicked me out citing something about National security! Is that justice?"

"What I want to know is how Lelouch and Nunnally are able to sneak in. Did you know that Nunnally and Sayoko spent the entire day with him yesterday?"

"Oh! How is he? He's recovering, isn't he?"

Shirley replied, "They've removed the cast from his wrist, but he won't be returning to class anytime soon. He still has a broken leg and arm and plenty of cracked ribs...You know something, it's like a dream; Suzaku was an elite Knightmare pilot and none of us even knew! I wonder why he didn't tell us!"

"Military secrecy," said Rivalz sleepily as he closed his eyes. "The first Knightmare pilot of Japanese descent will be a PR disaster for the Black Knights. The last video by Zero was nothing but an hour-long character-assassination tape on him; you've seen it?"

"Don't tell me you're still obsessed about those things!" cried Shirley. "Didn't you say you were over them?"

"It's just...research, Shirley! Know your enemy, as Lelouch always says."

"And when Lelouch hears of you doing things like that, he will be angry! He doesn't like people interfering with his friends- and poor Suzaku is in so much trouble!"

"That's enough!" screamed Karen and marched out of the door.

"What's her problem?" wondered Rivalz aloud as Shirley shrugged in confusion.

* * *

><p>A dark room in a dark building, somewhere in the wastes of the Thar Desert.<p>

The Seven men sitting there, weren't supposed to be there in the first place. The Great Indian Desert was entirely within the Indian Confederacy- and neither the nobles of the Confederacy or their Emperor or the Chinese Eunuch who lorded them all, had any great love for the military-industrial meritocracy that ruled erstwhile British India with an iron hand.

Yet the Seven were there; and God save the man or woman who tried to disturb them as they met each other for the first time in a decade.

The oldest of them spoke first; he looked rather like a gnarled oak and was as stout and unyielding- He ,more than anyone else, had been the one responsible for making the MZI the strongest of the 300-odd states that still fought for supremacy in the subcontinent. Patel had been born in Gujarat, the Heart of the Confederacy, educated at Mysore and served the Nizam as a lawyer for three decades. Now, he was the moving force of the MZI...and the only man in history to survive three separate assassination attempts by OSI's Geass assassins.

"It's insanity, is it?" Commander-in-Chief Patel growled. "Am I mad? Is Schniezel mad? Whichever way you look at it, it is a master-stroke that defies sanity!"

"It might be an attempt to catch the Europeans off-guard- too bad it caught us as well," observed one of his colleagues.

Field Marshal Ayub Khan shot back, "The Europeans are always off-guard! What did you expect? The British will walk all over the French and Africa might as well sink into the seas for all the good it'll be!"

"It appears that we made a mistake by not taking an active role during the Area 18 war," observed Lieutenant-General Manekshaw, "As such we have next to resources in Persia and even if the Afghans help us against the Confederacy, there is still China...and Britannia after it."

The Field Marshal grumbled, "Don't call it Area 18...and our situation is even worse than you imagined, the Eunuchs will be having a coup..."

"Preposterous!"

"It's not! And even so, who will stop them? You? Me? As far as I'm concerned they can burn everything there..."

"Stop overreacting, Mr Khan," came Head Military Researcher Ghaffar Diab's voice. "India cannot defeat Britannia without China. And as such, the MZI need the help of the Maharaja."

Chief Admiral Bhupinder Singh, the King of Patiala, broke in, "If you're going to cooperate with the Confederacy, Sir; I'm going to have problems. That a bunch of feudal-era, palaces and princes-type idiots..."

"Who are as advanced as us; and have support from the Wodiyars in Mysore," Manekshaw completely his comrade's sentence in a cold tone. "Let's accept it, my dear sirs! As of now, the MZI is surrounded from all sides and our French and German friends won't be coming to our aid when the Eunuchs have had enough of our war-mongering. And once Africa falls? Britannians off the Makran Coast and goodbye to the Chakra!"

"Not while I draw breath!"

"Yes! Yes!" sighed Manekshaw as the others, bar Patel, started shouting at each other, "But what else? We're unprepared for a European war and the Chinese are too many to defeat even if the mad Maharaja hadn't been in their pocket! We're next in line when Europe falls; and...Will you even listen?"

"What about the Nizam? Surely, he won't hear of this! What will happen to our traditions? Britannians will destroy our culture; they won't contend themselves with taxes and crops like the Chinese!"

"Exactly! Central Asia and Persia will throw their weight behind us if the old man speaks up! The Arabs will chip in with money and their Bamides; With luck we can get a new MEF!"

"The old miser is dying," growled the Chief Admiral, "He can't move a muscle and his worthless court won't move one until he's gone. And before you ask about Kashmir, the Chinese have already discovered that we're in violation of our weapons limit- we have had to dismantle two of our Chandra plants there."

Manekshaw shouted over the resulting cacophony, "Are they ready for deployment? Are they good?" The telescreen light up with the required data at his words and the Chief Admiral started reading out the major points.

"Wipes the floor with Gloucesters and has better specs than their Z-01 model! Code Red fights as well as their unit; and a proper pilot for it has also been found. Mixed Britannian-Japanese heritage, teenage, practically super-human, needs a psychiatrist; she reported a maximum ratio of 94.2%."

The room fell silent. In an awed voice, someone at the back asked, "Is it really so good? The weapon we've been waiting for?"

"Well, of course it won't stand up to the flagship unit; but the Chandra is the finest in existence. We're pulling out an armoured, missile version- Code Noor- in a few weeks; modelled on the European Hummels- I've got the assurances from Rommel."

The Field Marshal sneered, "And how do you propose to deal with a battle on all fronts, My Lord? We will be facing odds of three to one; and Heavens be with us if the Britannians break through...Even if you manage to neutralize the Confederacy and the Chinese with your magic robots; you still have to handle Britannia and its never-ending armies!"

"Just a minute!" came a voice from the back of the room.

The Chairman of the Oriya Territories and Princely states, Lieutenant-General Maharaja Krishna Chandra Gajapati, paused the video- currently showing the mech the World knew as the Guren. He moved it forward until the telescreen came to rest on one of the most famous faces...or rather, the most famous mask of the time. The King announced, "Can we spare a few rupees for a mercenary?"

* * *

><p>"At this point, the only thing I'm wondering is whether the Indians can spare a few pence for a mercenary," said Prince Schniezel as he delicately sipped his tea. He was dressed like a peacock; With the flamboyant style created by Prince Clovis himself and with the curious cat-like love of neatness that the Second Prince affected; Cornelia- sitting at the opposite terminal- could hardly believe that Schniezel was talking to her from the war-front at Tangiers.<p>

She put down her still un-tasted cup and asked, "Couldn't you have waited for six more months, Schniezel? I would've finished up here; We're short of manpower and Knightmares as it is." Just then, her eyes narrowed and she asked suspiciously, "Or is it that the Lancelot is already being used in basic combat?"

"No! No! With Kururugi injured, Camelot itself is on a break. Dr Lloyd is finalizing designs of the Vincent...ask no questions, my dear and I will tell you no lies! Don't worry about me, I have Kanon with me and Spruance, Mac Arthur and Stadtfeld. That should be enough; just handle the East for me and keep the Chinese at bay."

"Your frontline generals are getting old, brother! We can't have Knights in their twenties and their commanders in their sixties!"

Schniezel replied at once, "You'll find, sister, that people are far more willing to serve under warrior princesses than dowdy academicians like myself! I haven't received a resume for months but I heard almost everybody out of Sandhurst this year, tried to enter the Seventh Army." He grinned on seeing her blush and went on, "Don't worry about us! We've been planning this months; our original date for execution was a mere five months away...Cornelia, can I ask a question?"

"But, of course!"

"Have you noticed anything...strange...about Zero?"

"No," replied the Princess in a flash, "Have you found any clues I need to know about?"

"It's nothing...Just a touch of fever. But, I love his taste in endgames. They're...They're really unique."

Cornelia grumbled in annoyance. She said harshly, "That was bad, Schniezel! And here, I thought you would help me! Why should I concern myself with his hobbies? Besides, when did he play chess anyway?"

"I beg your pardon, Madame. As I said, I probably have a touch of fever..."

* * *

><p>"Am I doing this correct, Suzaku?" asked Euphemia as she painstakingly and carefully folded a paper crane, "I've never done origami with you before; I mean, I've never done it with other people but there were some books online."<p>

Suzaku laughed. Princess Euphemia was as cheerful and friendly as ever. He helped her straighten the edges of her bird and then, began to teach her to make a boat. "I'm grateful to you, Your Highness! I know that it's difficult to visit every single victim of Zero's activities." His words were sincere and Suzaku was surprised when the Third Princess' became the tiniest fraction subdued upon hearing his words.

Regardless, he went on, "My school friends were here three days ago, a few hours after you left. Would you like to see their picture? Its there- on the mantelpiece- Milly, Rivalz, that's Karen, Nina and Shirley." _'Thank God for Lelouch's paranoia! Come to think of it, have I ever seen a photograph of him anywhere?'_

"Only five before you came? It must've been hectic for them! I've heard so much about Ashford's school events! Who's your best friend among them?" asked the Princess in her upbeat manner.

"My best friend?" stammered Suzaku. In an ordinary case, the answer was simple- His first friend, Lelouch. He didn't have anyone particularly close except for Lelouch and Nunnally...except for the Third Princess herself. "Riva...Rivalz Cardemonde! He's the one on the second right...What's the matter, Your Highness?"

The Third princess was smirking. She threw a paper crane at Suzaku's surprised face and exclaimed, "You're lying!" With a look of the most intense interest on her face, she asked him, "Who is it! Tell me, there are only five choices- Can I guess?"

"It's nothing like that! You of all people should know about me! I meant that..."

"I'm glad, you know..." The Princess went on in a slightly wistful voice, "I always wanted you to make friends of your own age, not get stuck in things like governance and policies. Let's see- Are these gifts from them?"

Suzaku started talking enthusiastically, glad at the change of topic, "Yes, there are plenty of cards, a few school supplies and this hamper from Milly and Nina. There's a book on the Fall of Jerusalem before the Second Crusade and a Game CD; the person who bought them for me insisted that I try to recreate the siege on a computer for our History project. I'm busy with that these days!"

Euphemia shook her head sadly and said in a disapproving tone, "That's wrong. Why shouldn't he read the topic himself? I know that some people feel that History is boring but this is too much!"

"He's a genius in history...Actually; he's a genius in pretty much everything. I've heard him give a half-an-hour talk on Winged Hussars off the top of his head a few days ago. But he's too lazy to work!" Suzaku smiled fondly as he remembered the incident that had happened barely two weeks earlier when Lelouch had started arguing with their teacher about cavalry tactics during the Napoleonic wars. Needles to say, the Student Council had bet, successfully, upon Lelouch- the latter's knowledge of the Napoleonic World could put the word 'Encyclopaedic' to shame...

"I hope your friend helps me with history lessons one day!" laughed the Princess. "It's really boring whenever...Is anything the matter, Lord Darlton?"

The General had entered the room; from his expression, Suzaku was sure that the Princess' seemingly carefree visit had a story of it's own behind it. He gulped as the General narrowed his eyes at him and said carefully, "I trust you're recovering well, Corporal Kururugi."

"Yes, My Lord. I expect to be back for duty by..."

The General waved off his statements gruffly, "Take your time. Prince Schniezel was adamant that you get well before returning. I only came in to announce the Right Honourable..."

"Karen!" exclaimed Princess Euphemia. "You're Karen, aren't you? Suzaku was just telling me about you all! Isn't it great that you were able to come!"

To Suzaku's eyes, 'great' was the last word Karen would've used to describe her situation. She had been almost paralyzed when Lord Darlton had, to all purposes, shoved her inside the room and even now, was staring at the Princess as if she couldn't believe her eyes. If there were any doubts that things were going too fast for her, they were dispelled when the first words she spoke to the Princess were a vacuous- "You're real, aren't you? Not one of those nutters on the streets?"

"I didn't know people dressed up like me," said the Princess in a puzzled voice. Turning to Suzaku, she asked curiously, "When we met for the first time, did people do that?"

"No, they started after your debut," explained Suzaku- at least Karen seemed to be getting control of herself- "They don't do a good job as such but it's nice and doesn't do any harm."

"Can I go out during such a dress-up time?" asked Princess Euphemia eagerly, "It'll be great fun!"

From the corner of his eye, Suzaku saw a sneer of disgust playing on Karen's lips and felt sad. Euphy...Princess Euphemia's words could be easily misunderstood as those of a spoilt child; but to anyone who knew of the loneliness and formality she had to deal with at all times, it was a wonder she could manage at all. It was also strange that Karen reacted like that- While she didn't have a particularly sheltered life; the Stadtfelds were among the upper echelons of Area Eleven Nobility and respect for the Imperial family was generally ingrained into heirs from a young age.

Euphemia went on, seemingly oblivious to Karen's reaction, "Aren't you one of the higher nobility in Area 11? Cornelia is always telling me to make contacts; why don't you and your parents come meet us one of these days?"

Karen replied, a bit too coldly in Suzaku's opinion, "I will be glad to, Your Highness. In fact, we've been surprised at how things are going. His Highness, Prince Clovis..." Suzaku noticed that she had an expression of disgust playing on her face as she said the name "...Prince Clovis was famous for his parties. My Stepmother usually went out every week; we've been surprised that the Second Princess doesn't share the same tastes!"

"Cornelia's like that!" laughed the Princess. "Both of us- we don't like parties and things like those. And with things as they are, she barely gets any free time at all!"

"Looking at the conditions in the ghettos, it's hard to imagine that the Colonial Administration is interested in doing anything..."said Karen drily.

Suzaku nearly had a seizure at her words; but the Princess appeared to take it in stride. Hesitantly, she spoke, "It's true...I mean, we're doing our best but..."

"She means that they're doing their best but we have to be patient for the results," broke in Suzaku hastily. He wasn't sure of what the proper response and protocol ought to have been, but anything seemed to better than the Princess' reply. He suppressed a surge of annoyance at Karen. "Besides, you wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes, I wasn't sure whether I could get in but thankfully, Lord Darlton recognized me. Isn't such security a bit too heavy for an engineering trainee?"

This time, it was Suzaku's time to stammer. While his position in Camelot had given him certain privileges- such as staying at a civilian hospital; he wasn't exactly allowed to have visitors. How Lelouch managed to get in, and even bring the others, was beyond the young soldier. Telling Karen the truth would entail telling the Student Council about the Lancelot and Suzaku agreed with Lelouch that such things were best kept separate from school.

"Kururugi Suzaku was involved in an extremely risky operation that saved the Viceroy's life!" answered Euphemia for him. "He was very brave!"

"Did you?"

Suzaku tried to deflect her questions, "No! I mean..."

Euphemia went on enthusiastically, "Yes, he did! He's one of the best people I've met in my life!"

Karen still looked conflicted; Suzaku supposed that the news- an Eleven...Honorary Britannian protecting the Viceroy- was too much to believe. Karen wasn't racist, but it would be too much to expect anything like Lelouch's indifference to such things. And even then, Suzaku had a slight suspicion that Lelouch simply considered everybody else, bar Nunnally, to be beneath him and detested all human beings equally.

Karen appeared to have reached a decision while he was thinking and asked eagerly, "Suzaku, Can you tell me where Lelouch is right now?"

'_What did she say!'_

Suzaku tried to attempt damage-control, but Euphemia beat him to the punch. "Lelouch? You know a Lelouch? What does he look like?"

"It's not who you think he is, Your Highness!" stammered Suzaku frantically while trying to block her view of Karen. "It's a German immigrant who works in the equestrian club. I'm sorry for bringing up bad memories."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Karen. "Why should..."

"Exactly! Why should we bother the Princess with irrelevant things?" Suzaku pressed on, "I don't know where he is but surely it isn't important! Isn't he out gambling with Rivalz?"

Karen backed away, taken aback by his sudden vehemence; but Euphemia persisted, however this time her manner was quieter, "But can't you at least tell me a bit more? You knew them when they were in Area 11, didn't you, Suzaku? They can't have vanished into thin air!"

With a heavy heart, Suzaku went on, "I don't know, Your Highness. We saw each other for the last time near what is now Ota Fourth beach-road." Warning Karen to keep quiet with a glance, he further said, "I haven't seen them since; I don't think that they're even in Area 11 anymore."

* * *

><p>"He always has a chess game on...And it's always the endgame," said Lord Guilford to the assembled officers. Princess Cornelia herself sat on the throne at the far-end of the room. They had been pouring over the four tapes released by the Black Knights in the past week, encouraged by Prince Schniezel's parting words. Guilford himself couldn't understand the fuss. They already had created a psychological profile of Zero and the other two Black Knights from the tapes; there was little else to be gleaned from the material.<p>

The Knight couldn't help contrasting the masked revolutionary with his subordinates. Q1 and P1, no matter how skilled they were, weren't leaders. They stood hunched at the shoulders; shuffled their feet at intervals and delivered their lines as if in a daze. They didn't seem to be used to their uniforms and on the whole, were little better than the so-called JLF professionals.

Watching Zero take the stage was a completely different experience. While the other two made their recordings in front of a green cloth, Zero gave his speeches from his table like the representative of a sovereign nation addressing his citizens. Every single sentence sounded like the idea of power given voice. He was the finest orator Guilford had seen in his life-not that he would ever admit it publicly. The room looked no different from a Britannian noble's study- right down to the bookcase behind Zero. The study table was dominated by a massive mahogany chess set.

From all accounts, Zero was obsessed with chess. Every Black Knight had a code derived from Chess notations. Their escape routes and tactics were coded as chess openings; An Honorary Britannian spy, who had managed to avoid detection for two days before being caught by the Black Knights, had reported that Zero would cancel meetings with the Executive Council if he couldn't finish his games in time.

One of the visiting psychologists from the Shinagawa Medical College had opined, "Such single-minded obsession with Chess is often the hallmark of a troubled mind. The individual loses all focus and perspective; He becomes paranoid and has delusions of persecution- largely from confusing himself with the King piece. Megalomania and a distorted black-white moral spectrum is created in his mind. Studies have also shown that such persons become extremely desensitized to violence; they confuse humans with chess pieces and are willing to sacrifice everything for themselves; or whatever they consider to be their King-piece. What else can one expect from somebody who uses Chess to decide war strategies?"

Princess Cornelia had carefully listened to the man's arguments and then, told him coldly, "I base my battles on chess tactics, so does Schniezel and General Montgomery before him. And before them, were my father and Napoleon and Peter the Great. So, you're saying that Chess causes insanity, you nitwit? How the hell gave you your degree?" Since then, it had been hard work for Guilford to convince researchers to aid them in their efforts.

He addressed the Princess, "It's good for him that he wears a mask. He's the lynch pin keeping the Black Knights together; I've no doubt that the organization will collapse the minute he's removed. Will it be possible to use the JLF against him? He's Britannian after all!"

"No..." muttered Princess Cornelia, "It won't be right if that traitor is not executed by us. The JLF aren't cooperating with them, are you sure?"

"Actually, they're trying to undermine them, My Lady. As far as we can make it, they're going to escape to China and re-establish themselves there- maybe, get new mechs from the Indians."

Cornelia replied softly, "We will crush them when they crawl out of the woodwork...Have you people got the meaning of Schniezel's words yet?"

"I apologize, My Lady!" said one of the Darlton's intelligence officers. "There hasn't been any concrete conclusion as of yet, but we have theories!"

"Well then, let's hear it!" demanded Cornelia.

"Firstly, there's a chance that Zero isn't actually playing, he has arranged this set from memory and is only jogging it along...in fact that's extremely likely, largely because of the arrangement of the board."

"Arrangement?"

The code-breaker nodded. "In his first video, he moves a total of three pieces during speaking...We're sure he was doing it subconsciously. We got the positions and took the required inputs. You will observe that it's a very reckless style of play and only the very best of players could pull it off the way Zero has done. Might we recommend checking up on old professional chess players in Area 11?"

Guilford snapped at him, "It's already been done! Go on!"

"Beg Pardon, My Lord. We got a total of over 7000 likely games at this point; using the three moves he made- we were able to narrow them down and pin the most likely game down depending on the King's Sword sacrifice he has used here. The record has an accuracy of 58%; the second most likely choice is 23%- The style resembles Creptinik's more ambitious games. The second game is infact, a repeat of his defeat of Bruyere, who was noted for his overbearing play, in Munich, 1893 ATB. He's a little obscure, thus we have gathered..."

"I've heard of him," said Princess Cornelia dully.

"That's fortunate...We have the required analysis right here. We suspect that His Highness was referring to Russian intelligence agents- they're the best in Europe. Hillman was the most successful of anti-Britannian agents in recent years and he's KGB. Besides, why didn't his Highness speak clearly if he wished to give us a clue? Surely, he understands the situation!"

Princess Cornelia didn't deign to reply; instead it was her Knight who closed the meeting-"You don't understand Prince Schniezel!"

* * *

><p>"I heard that you've been searching for me."<p>

Karen nodded wearily. "I've been trying to meet you for almost a week but somehow, one way or the other, I wasn't able to."

Lelouch laughed as he poured out Nunnally's tea and set it on the table. With a wide smirk, he asked, "You can't really blame me; At least you got to meet Sub-Viceroy today!"

"Did Karen really meet Princess Euphemia today, brother?" asked Nunnally in an interested tone of voice. "How is she? There's rarely any news on her these days!"

Karen sighed; this was annoying. Her meeting with Suzaku and his idiotic princess had been maddening to say the least. She couldn't understand anything going on; both the soldier and the Princess seemed to be talking at cross-purposes and Karen had got the distinct impression that Suzaku was trying to hide something from the girl...What was even stranger was how they'd started behaving when she'd mentioned Lelouch's name.

Karen had been about to lose her temper when she'd act sight of the hamper they'd made for their first hospital visit. Immediately she had remembered Rivalz's words about Nunnally and had lost no time in rushing back to the Clubhouse. At any rate, it didn't look like she would be able to do anything against the Princess if her bodyguards stayed near her.

Nunnally had been delighted to receive her and had lost no time in making her comfortable. Sayoko-san didn't seem to be there, but somehow, Nunnally had managed to handle things until Lelouch came back.

In hindsight, Karen felt that she'd been stupid. After all, Nunnally had invited her for tea several times earlier. It was simply that, she never really associated Lelouch with her-the polite, gentle girl was the last thing one would associate with the Vice-President. It was obvious that the latter was devoted to his sister; but even then sometimes, she got the distinct impression that Lelouch was distancing himself from the blind girl...Was that why she'd been avoiding their home. She broke out of her reverie on hearing Nunnally's laughter.

"Lelouch," she asked, "Can I ask you a question? It's a bit...personal so would you mind..."

"It's about your mother, isn't it?" he said with the same old arrogant smirk on his face. "Besides, I turned up today only because I heard you were asking for me."

"How...How did you know that?"

"Easy! I met Rivalz a few hours ago and then, I got a call from Suzaku; I figured I clear up everything today itself. Isn't that right, Nunnally?"

The girl nodded and addressed Karen, "Brother has been really busy this past week. I don't think he's had the time to attend classes or meetings; It would've been much easier to wait for him at our home! Well...Brother, you promised that you won't be working yourself as hard as you've been the past few days!"

Lelouch laughed and ruffled her hair. "Sorry about that. Just give me this one last night...I haven't been a good brother these past few days, have I?" He looked up when Karen coughed irritably. He said carelessly, "I didn't do anything nor did I even know of her situation. I hope that you find your mystery benefactor soon!"

"But what about Alan Spacer? I've been researching about him and he's obviously you! Half the bookies in this city know you! And there was that shoot-out between Cali's group when you were at Arcadia..."

Lelouch's face twisted into a blank mask. Taking her by the elbows, the boy literally dragged her out of the room, leaving Nunnally sitting there with a confused expression on her face. Karen tried to free herself, but the need for maintaining her facade was paramount after all and she allowed Lelouch to march her downstairs. Once there, he turned upon her with a livid face and eyes burning with rage, "What the hell is your problem? Don't you know that Nunnally gets worried whenever the subject of my gambling comes up?"

"But...but she never complains, does she?" Karen stammered. "I've never heard of her..."

"Because my sister, whatever you might think, isn't a stupid fool!" Lelouch sneered. "She gets Rivalz to ensure that I don't chew off more than I can handle! Before I created an independent bank account for my gambling, she was always telling me to cut down as we had enough already!"

Karen lost her temper. "And that's how you repay your sister's trust? By cheating her and ditching your friends at every point? Do even realize how worried she gets when you're out enjoying?"

"Shut up with your accusations! I will take care of her in my own way!" he thundered. This Lelouch was completely different from the one she'd been accustomed to and somehow, she suspected that she was the first of the Student Council to see this stranger who lurked behind the Vice-President's cool, composed mask. "As if someone like you can understand what I feel for my sister!"

Naoto's image came floating into her mind. "A brother is someone who never deserts his sister! And what've you done? Ever since I came to this place, I've never seen you spend even a single day by her side! For someone who ignores his sister so easily, you do have a lot of nerve! My brother was never like you! Never! He never thought of me as a burden! That's what you think about Nunnally, isn't it?" she said viciously and felt a surge of satisfaction as she saw him flinch.

She had expected him to become even angrier. However, to her surprise, Lelouch appeared to deflate at once. In a low voice, he warned, "Karen, get out of my house."

"Not until I get my answers!"

He repeated his earlier words coldly, "And I'm damned if I give them. Get out of my house and never enter it again."

"It's not your house!" Karen shouted at him. "It's your fault if you believe that the world owes you! You're...you're the worst this place has! Arrogant, traitorous, lying...You don't deserve Nunnally's trust! You don't deserve anyone's trust!"

Lelouch narrowed his eyes and stared at her silently for a few tense seconds. Slowly, he said, "You still don't have an answer, do you?"

"Answer?"

"For that question I'd asked, the day you slapped me. No, you haven't...I see that you haven't even tried to think about it," muttered Lelouch under his breath. "You wouldn't have been so strung up if that had been the case...You're still here?"

Karen gritted her teeth and prepared to fend off Lelouch in case he attacked her. It wasn't likely; the Vice-President didn't seem to be the type to get into physical conflicts and she had never heard anything of the sort...but the look in his eyes didn't seem right; if anything he looked slightly unhinged. She wondered whether she should've used such harsh words earlier.

Lelouch's eyes hardened when she didn't move. His face still looked like it had been carved of stone and Karen noticed that his right hand was as iron-steady when it vanished into his uniform and came out with a snub-nosed German Walther PP3. Calmly, he told her, "I know you're stronger and faster than me. But you're no Suzaku and not that it matters at this distance, but I'm a surgeon with the revolver."

"What the...Lelouch, you can't...can't be serious...That gun's not real, is it? It's...It's..."

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU BLOODY TRAITOR!"

Karen rushed out as fast as she could. It wasn't until she'd reached home that she realized that Lelouch had called her a traitor.

* * *

><p>"I suppose I must thank you for putting me up in your personal quarters?" said CC sleepily as she stretched lazily on the sofa of one of the Viceregal palace's studies.<p>

"I don't think that everybody in the military is trustworthy...even within my own army," replied the Viceroy grimly. "Besides, you'll be more of a risk at prison where we have all kinds of Numbers roaming about. Now...we had a contract, right? Tell me all you know about that day!"

The girl simply stared at the Princess before bursting into laughter. As Cornelia looked on stunned, she recomposed herself and managed to say, "You...you really don't understand what that meant, do you...? I like contracts; It's so easy to twist the words! Cornelia, you're being stupid! Not to mention completely irrational!"

"What do you mean?" asked a confused Cornelia.

CC jumped down nimbly and walked across to where the window was. She spoke, "That's Euphy, isn't it? Sitting under that ash tree? I haven't seen her in a...Aries Villa?"

"Clovis modelled it after Aries Villa. He loved the garden there. What's she doing out there alone? I had told her to report to me once she returned..." muttered Cornelia absentmindedly. "It's infuriating how she keeps talking about Kururugi! Worst of all, I'm still not completely satisfied with his rescue drama. Is Kururugi a member of the Black Knights?" She persisted when CC didn't answer. "You said you would assist me!"

"With the assassination at Aries Villa, not Zero nor the Black Knights!" CC said in a bored tone. Suddenly, a strange light came into her eyes, "Cornelia, why didn't you try to stop the war all those years ago? Neither did you try to find Lelouch and Nunnally after things calmed down. With your status, it should've been...not impossible at any rate."

Cornelia sighed and leaned back on her chair. She was silent for a long time and CC was going to change the topic, thinking that she probably wasn't going to get the answer to her question. She had heard Lelouch musing about it in his previous life; these days, he simply didn't care or gave such an impression at the very least.

Finally, Cornelia replied in a weary tone, "I...I wasn't that well-regarded in those days. Empress Marianne was the only support I had, apart from Schniezel and he wasn't too popular among the nobles either after all his peace settlements with the Asians...I was selfish, I guess, and to an extent, I feel like I sacrificed them in favour of Euphy. Is that why you're fighting against the Empire? I can't really blame you if that's the case..."

"But why didn't you try searching for them after the war? I don't think you're the type to take somebody else's words at face value. And what I can't understand is that why you're not using the resources at your disposal! You do know that Kururugi knew them all those years ago, don't you? And yet, you haven't even tried to question him about them!"

Cornelia replied dully, "What good will it serve when I know for a fact that Kururugi's father killed them himself? There's no need to bring up the issue, is there? The brat is suffering as it is..."

"Kururugi Genbu killed them?" repeated CC suspiciously. "Who told you that?"

"The emperor did; we kept things quiet otherwise it would've triggered a bloodbath in Area 11," said Cornelia. "We're not murderers, CC if that's what you're thinking. Britannia is a much better administrator than the Europeans or China. And as far as I'm concerned, what we have managed in Area 11 has been praiseworthy, despite the Eleven's and Zero's efforts to the contrary!"

CC nodded her head in a careless manner. Both of them were silent for a while and then, she spoke suddenly, "The security here isn't as tight as the prison! What about..."

"I'm here," shot back Cornelia curtly. "There's no need for extra soldiers!"

"No, it's just that...who recommended shifting me here? It's not something you thought of, was it? It's not your style; you're too upright and rule-bound..."

Cornelia grimaced and said irritably, "However it was; you don't have any right to complain. I promised you your freedom and a ticket out of Area 11 if you told me all you know about Empress Marianne's death. Those are the limits of our agreement and that's final!"

"Not giving me a choice, are you?" grumbled her audience. "Fine! But who told you about Black Knight agents in your army? It wasn't true; He never...Was it Euphemia?"

"Why should Euphy bother with such idiotic things? If you're interested, Lord Forrest raised the issue yesterday at a meeting. Lord Malcolm seconded him and so did Darlton. It's terrible to doubt my own men, but what can I do?" she finished tiredly.

CC said slowly, "Then, you agreed to the recommendations of the Police chiefs? That's...unlike you!"

"I'm not in the best of places. With the war starting in Africa, Schniezel needs all the men and equipment he needs. I have to adjust with whatever I have and if it means pandering to the nobles, then so be it! At least I'm not losing anything with this! The Black Knights will lose public support if they launch an unprovoked attack on the palace itself for a Britannian; and if reports are correct, the JLF is trying to mobilize disgruntled Black Knights against Zero."

"The JLF? Aren't they going to escape to China?"

"They were able to salvage most of their equipment at Narita, thanks to you!"Cornelia said bitterly. "Zero is making a mistake by trusting those bloody Elevens. Just as we did! I should've protested, no matter what the conditions were! Lelouch trusted me and I...Who the hell are you?"

A masked woman had stepped in front of them; so suddenly that it seemed that she'd appeared out of thin air. They heard explosions and from the window, saw three Knightpolice frames land onto the lawn and Lord Darlton's Knightmare rush out into the fray.

"I have no words to express my gratitude for the information regarding the JLF... and I wish to apologize for my countrymen's traitorous behaviour towards Lelouch-sama," said the woman in an even monotone. "However, at present, my orders are to help CC-sama escape from you. Please back down otherwise I will be forced to harm you."

Cornelia smiled savagely and reached for her gun. "Just try it, Eleven! I haven't killed one of you scum for days!"

The next second, she was screaming and falling. Sayoko saw CC bend down and remove the bullets from the unconscious Viceroy's gun. She looked up and grinned as the maid bowed. "Trust Lelouch to use Britannian frames to attack the Britannian Viceregal palace," she laughed. "He could've at least waited till Supper! I haven't seen Euphemia in person for years!"

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter took a lot of research; not that it wasn't useful. I learnt a good deal about Polish Winged Hussars who I now declare to be the most badass horsemen in the World. A couple of thousand of them routed a Turkish army two hundred thousand strong. Actually, it's rather scary how little protected Eastern Europe from the Ottoman Empire. Corruption and ignorance was rampant and it was only the personal heroism of a few brave men (including Dracula, Vlad the Impaler) which maintained the status quo.<strong>

**Until the Mongols turned up and showed both the Turks and the Europeans just how foolish ('sinful'-as the Great Khan said) they were. I'm a great fan of Genghis Khan...and Sultan-e-Hind Ala ud din Khalji. Trust me, you haven't learnt horror until you read about his defence of India during the Mongol invasions. (Hint-The Mongols never succeeded. They avoided India afterwards. They were scared of him.)**

**Lelouch's invasion of the Viceregal palace isn't over yet. As for Karen, I personally don't understand her. She betrays Lelouch more times than Suzaku- it's a tribute to him that he doesn't hold that against her. Karen, like most Japanese in the show, has a terminal case of foot-in-mouth and fools-rush-in disease. She's also one of the most stupid people in the series- though; it's lampshaded in one of the fancy charts the BKs used. At least, Suzaku remained true to his beliefs until the bitter end. I can understand stupidity, I can't condone betrayal.**

'**Noor' means light in Arabic/ Persian/ Urdu/ Hindi. 'Maharaja' means Emperor in most Indian languages and can refer to anybody- the Maratha King, the Wodiyar kings, the Nizam etc etc. Rakshata's 'Maharaja' ultimately boils down to executives not opening their wiki before making the show. Modern Rocketry started in India when Emperor Tipu wrote the 'Fatulah Mujahid' and streamlined Mysore's rocket corps into a Europeanized fighting force. After the fall of Seringapatnam, the British used the technology to create the Congreve. In my interpretation, Napolean managed to reach Moscow two months early. The Allied army, buoyed by Geass and overconfident, attacked. (They defended in our world.) Napolean suffered a few defeats, realized what CC- who'd offered him a contract once- was upto and struck back viciously, conquering Moscow and retreating before he lost the Grand Armee. Then, he marched into England and the rest is pure fiction.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Opinions about the Zero Requiem are as varied as those about Lelouch and Suzaku's friendship. Personally, I think the plan was asinine but well-intentioned. Of course, the greatest of mess-ups always start with the best of intentions but more about that later...**

**Lelouch's plan for creating an ideal, united world by making a single 'Demon' for it to hate may seem childish to most of us, but strangely and I don't know whether the writers meant it that way- it's one which has already been tried out in our World. CG is set very close to WW2, isn't it?**

**The news channels are full with stories about Afghanistan, Syria and the Middle-East. Maybe there will be a new War in Iran, though I pray that sense, and peace, prevail in the end. Tragic- all of them; but the WW2 was on a completely different scale. And so was the VE/VJ day. For the first time in Human history, the World was united against a single monstrous organization that threatened to crush all freedom under it's boots. It fought. And won. In those days, the euphoria must've been breath-taking. Even amidst the ruins, there was hope for a better future. Has the future become better since then? I personally believe it has. But the dream that so many saw at the end of WW2 didn't last, did it? **

**Lelouch, in CG, would've surely guessed such a situation might occur in the wake of his death and so, how does he go about it? Destroy all major decision-making families in Britannia so that the Imperial army is left leaderless and then merge it with the Black Knights and its (jailed) leadership. Destroy all political systems by making himself the head of a single World Government. The destruction of Mt Fuji's Sakuradite reserves may also be a factor. The resulting shortage of Sakuradite would not only curtail war resources but also encourage research in alternate fuels.**

**Did he succeed in the end? Who Knows? Maybe, Season R3...But, It just won't be the same without Lelouch. And I really want him to stay dead.**

**I don't own Code Geass.**

* * *

><p>"She's not dead, is she?" whispered Sayoko as she took the unconscious Viceroy's pulse. "Lelouch-sama warned me not to hurt any of his sisters."<p>

"She'll be all right," replied CC carelessly. "I went easy on her and speaking of harming them, I'm surprised he didn't send more!"

Sayoko frowned in confusion. The operation wasn't the biggest; but Lelouch-sama had decided not to involve the Black Knights this time. Even then, with most of the top police pilots geassed into submission, Sayoko couldn't understand why CC-sama was pricking holes into her master's efforts. She told the girl so.

"It's not that!"CC tried to pacify her rescuer. "I just thought..." She glanced at Cornelia. "You aren't going to try and abduct her now? After all, she is Britannia's greatest living general!"

Sayoko said morosely, "It's as the Viceroy said. Lelouch-sama hasn't told me anything yet but he probably suspected it all along. He probably didn't want to take chances trying something so delicate at the same time as a hostage extraction situation."

CC sighed deeply, "Very well. I will save my anger for Lelouch. You don't think he's getting soft, are you? He was pretty reckless earlier."

"I don't understand..."

"Oh, I forgot. You have no way of knowing, do you?" CC observed. "You have an escape route planned, don't you? It'll be pretty stupid to get caught now though with Lelouch's usual overconfidence, I kind of expect such a happening."

"Lelouch-sama has been extremely worried about you," Sayoko said stiffly. "I'm sure a little bit of appreciation is in order."

"And he has such devoted servants too!" remarked CC carelessly. "Lead the way, Girl Friday! We're going through the sewers, aren't we? Can we go through the Kitchens first? Cornelia had told the cooks to make a mushroom pizza for me!"

Sayoko didn't reply; which CC took as a sign of assent. Lelouch truly had the best taste in servants!

* * *

><p>Like a broken bird, the attack helicopter fell from the skies; a golden lance impaled through it. Darlton allowed himself a sigh of satisfaction and then, turned to face the remaining rebels- four Knightpolice mechs and a handful of surplus army choppers. Reinforcements had already arrived; no longer were the two Knights the only ones at the scene.<p>

The dull roar of Ack-Ack fire filled his ears and from the corner of his eye, he saw Guilford position his mech in front of the doorway Princess Euphemia had just disappeared into.

Darlton hadn't been too approving of His Lady's actions lately. Ever since the capture of that girl...CC, the Viceroy had barely paid any attention to Area 11's problems. She would spend hours taking with the terrorist; and then instead of helping her subordinates with policy decision, retire to her rooms. She had been going over the old records of Empress Marianne's assassination- something that the old General was sure was a waste of her time and abilities. After all, he reflected as he watched the renegade choppers get cut down by anti-aircraft fire, the investigations had been called off. By His Majesty himself. There was no way His Lady would be allowed to go ahead with her efforts. Princess Cornelia's inattentiveness might not have prevented the current incident, but even then...why wasn't she at the scene? Princess Euphemia had been at the garden when the attack started. What if Guilford and he had been too late?

The Police were good; but they were badly outnumbered and experience-wise, no match for the battle-hardened Palace guard. Darlton directed the guard forward and signalled Guilford to hem the rebels in. Space was limited in the terrace garden and with more than a dozen Knightmares in that tiny place, it was difficult to find proper manoeuvring space. They were maintaining radio silence to curtail the danger of interceptions- something all police Knightmares were capable of. Hell, cursed Darlton, the Palace Knightmares didn't even have ECCMs. An attack by ECM equipped mechs would've ended in disaster.

Guilford apparently hadn't got the memo. There was a burst of static from Darlton's speakers and when he switched it on, his friend's voice thundered, "Why had you disabled the AA guns, General? None of this would've happened if you hadn't given that stupid order this morning!" A few seconds later, the telescreen was on and Guilford was there, teeth clenched and sweating with fear and anger.

Darlton flinched at the sheer rage in Guilford's voice. Confused at the accusation, he stammered, "What...What're you talking about? What did I do?"

"The batteries and RADAR stations were silent the entire day! They tell me that you'd ordered them to stand down for repairs!"

"I did no such thing!"

Guilford's voice was icy-cold and furious. "General Darlton, I have always respected you. But if Princess Cornelia or Princess Euphemia had been harmed..."

"The Imperial Princesses are not to be harmed."

Both the Knights were stock-still as the image flickered and there was Lord Malcolm on the screen. The interior of his cockpit looked terrible. There was huge crack near the side and the noble was bleeding from the shoulder. It appeared that the main Yggdrasil drive had already failed- Malcolm's cockpit lights were dim red.

Darlton raised his eyes. Only one rebel mech still stood in front of the Guard. He heard Guilford whisper,"It can't be."

"Betrayal, Malcolm," Darlton spoke softly into the closed Channel. There was no reply and Malcolm's expression didn't change in the least. To be honest, the current Malcolm...just didn't feel like Malcolm-the corrupt, jolly, LOYAL Brigade Commander of the Eleventh army Military Police. The man facing them- his eyes downcast and dead, a face that looked like it belonged to a dead man- was simply not there...

"Is the Third Princess safe?" The voice came again. It was emotionless, expressionless. Darlton had heard more warmth in automated ATMs.

"She's safe, you traitor," replied Guilford bitterly."We rushed here as soon as we saw your VTOLs."

His harsh reply brought something to Darlton's mind. Throughout the attack, not once had the rebels attacked Her Highness, the Third Princess. Even when she was plainly in their sights, even when Guilford and he were completely open; they'd never pressed the attack- preferring to get cut down rather than harm any of the defenders. The helicopters had contended themselves with bombing the Palace barracks and worker quarters...But Malcolm knew where the Royal Chambers were!

The guard were no longer attacking, they didn't need to. Malcolm didn't seem to be interested in struggling any more. He simply stood there in his battered army-surplus Glasgow; the face on Darlton's televisors looked less capable of emotion than a statue of stone.

Slowly, Guilford raised his firearm. He spoke over the loudspeakers, "Lord Karius Malcolm, you've been charged with treason, armed unrest and most serious of all, attempted regicide. You will be eligible..."

"Tell the Princesses not to go to the West wing."

Lord Andreas Darlton had spent more than three decades in the Imperial Britannian Army. From a fifteen year-old mechanic trainee in the legendary Tarrington's Mountain Corps to the General of the Eleventh army, he'd come a long way- as he liked to reminisce over a glass of scotch at the end of a hard day's work. He'd heard his share of war stories over the years- 'invincible' soldiers, bullets being stopped by books, ghosts appearing on the battlefield, whole armies fighting in the skies. He'd also heard old soldiers speaking of how in times of great danger, they knew exactly what was going to happen and what they had to do.

He'd never believed them until now.

He grabbed his radio and started yelling out instructions as fast as he can. There was a dull buzzing about his ears; Guilford was telling him something but his voice was tiny...like the winds from a hurricane an ocean away. Everything seemed too bright; the Purple of the Palace Guard mechs and the White Knightpolice frames screamed like fire engines on a particularly tragic Guy Fawkes' day. As the first note of the screech started, he got the news that Princess Cornelia had been found unconscious in her study.

* * *

><p>`One of the things that five-year old Darcy had learned in her etiquette classes was that a true noble lady should never reply to frivolous nicknames such as 'Darcy'. However she did a terrible job of remembering that; especially when she was out of her parents' sight and sound.<p>

At the current moment, she was in Central Park, Tokyo Settlement- right in front of the Viceregal Palace. Her stupid babysitter was standing slack-jawed a few feet away from her, just like the other handful of people and Elevens still in the park. She didn't like Janet, the latter was rude, selfish, careless and plain evil-nothing compared to old Miss Streeter. But Miss Streeter had gone out with her niece one fine day two months ago; and since then she hadn't returned. Mother didn't tell her why the nice old lady never returned to their manor, she would shake her head sadly and warn her to stay away from Elevens but nothing else.

Darcy had been born Darcellen Norma Madsen- a name only parents besotted with a brand-new book of baby names could love. Miss Streeter always called her Darcy; but Janet never listened! Even after she told her again and again and again.

There was a huge explosion from the roof of the Palace, just like the ones she often saw on the televisors these days and Janet and many of the people present screamed. Someone yelled, "The Princesses are dead! They've been killed!" And all was chaos.

Constable Thomas, Janet's friend and the Officer in charge of the Park, rushed into the middle of the crowd and was promptly knocked down. People ran around, frantic with fear, wild with terror. Darcy heard Janet calling out her name; She tried to answer but it was surprising how many people now milled inside the park- the same park that seemed empty only a few moments ago. Darcy felt scared, no one looked at her, Janet was nowhere to be seen, the nice policeman friend of Janet who always had a toffee for her whenever she came to the park wasn't getting up, it was scary, everything was closing around her and everyone was scary.

She found a gap in the mass of bodies and ran with all her might. She spied an Eleven woman reaching out for her with a concerned look for her face and she felt tears in her eyes. The Eleven started saying something in her language but she barely heard any of it before she burst into tears, not that she would've understood the former's tongue in the first place.

Immediately there was a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, fearing that the Elevens had captured her- just like Mrs Streeter and her Mother had warned her so often. But the soothing accent was British- Clipped Imperial Richmond, just like hers.

"There, there. Don't cry. The Lady here was only trying to help." said the tall raven-haired boy softly as he knelt by her, "Isn't that right, Mrs...I'm sorry I don't know your name." He repeated his question in the Eleven's language when the Eleven shook her head at his English. After a few words, the boy nodded curtly and directed her towards a bench a few feet away, in a shady corner of a small copse. She hadn't noticed it at first, so well-concealed it was.

"You don't know any Japanese, do you?" said the boy as he put on a pair of headphones and lifted his laptop onto his lap. When Darcy nodded her head in reply, he went on, "Do learn it; It'll be stupid if you go around without knowing what 80% of Tokyo's population speak. The lady there, she was just worried about you running here and there without a guardian."

"Janet was there! I wasn't alone!" protested Darcy as fiercely as she could, but a sobbing preschooler didn't seem to cut much of a figure- judging by how the boy laughed and ruffled her hair. He lifted his eyes towards where the police helicopters were launching their missiles at the Palace and typed something into his laptop.

"Little Missy, you were alone. I saw you running here from the exit end and there was no one with you. I wouldn't have bothered but since you started bawling your eyes out when that nice Mrs Kawabe tried to help you, I had no other option."

"You're rude, you know that!" Darcy stomped her feet in anger. "Mrs Streeter always told me that Britannians ought to help each other. You should've protected me before she arrived!"

The boy shook his head sadly and replied, "Take a look around you, kid. Every single Britannian in this park rushed out mere seconds after the attacks started. This Janet of yours seems to have done the same. And need I mention that you were almost crushed to death, from where I see it?" Gesturing towards where the Elevens stood a little distance away, he continued, "The Japanese aren't going, because they know that the police and the military will be here in a few minutes and then they might be arrested. Do you know that Elevens are prohibited from even touching Britannians without the latter's permission? Especially nobles like you? What's your name, anyway?"

"Darcy Madsen," replied Darcy. She didn't understand most of what her rescuer said. He didn't seem to be pleased at her at any rate but she didn't want him to think of her as ungrateful and impolite. "What's yours, Mister?"

"Madsens? The Sakuradite Purification guys? I see...I'm Lelouch Lamperouge. Won't your teachers be angry at you for using Darcy? It's supposed to be Darcellen as far as I know!"

The girl grumbled, "I don't like Darcellen, Lelouch. Can you take me to where Janet is? She will be worried and Thomas was injured from what I saw."

"You won't be going anywhere," warned Lelouch in a tone just like the one her father used when she did something wrong. "The only responsible one here is me; and I'm too busy to search for your babysitter."

"But she can't see us here, can she? It's too...hidden."

Lelouch didn't reply to her at once. Signalling her to be quiet, he spoke something softly into his microphone and then started typing furiously. The little girl huffed in annoyance and climbed onto the stone bench. It was cool in the little copse; birds chirped in the trees, she heard the murmur of a brook. If Janet was there outside, there was no sign of it- the Elevens had wandered away.

In the distance, she saw two Cougar Helicopters burst into flame and crash to the ground. A trio of Knightpolice VTOLs appeared in the sky; one of them was impaled by a lance before he was even able to land. Then there was a horrible screech that went on and on for what seemed to be minutes and the west wing of the Palace collapsed in a horrible conflagration of molten steel and fire.

With a strangled gasp, Darcy leapt out of her seat. She glanced towards Lelouch but he seemed immersed in his work- hissing furiously into his microphone and fingers flying over his laptop. Then came another great groan from behind her; and she got a faint whiff of gas, before the Viceregal Gardens street exploded.

She realized that she was shaking with fright when Lelouch asked her whether she was hungry. "I have crackers, some sandwiches and orange juice. My sister loves orange juice. You look quite a bit like her, you know...Are the Madsens from Pendragon?"

"We are," said Darcy while gratefully accepting the cup Lelouch held out. Despite the carnage that had played out just now, barely a few hundred metres away, he was calm. So calm and collected that Darcy found herself relaxing. In a few seconds, she was back on her seat and talking with her new friend in a stable voice. "My Grandfather lives there. How did you know?"

"Purple eyes!" He laughed. "The Nobility is so inbred that almost everybody has purple eyes. The higher nobility, that is- not many of them left after the War of Unnumbered Tears and the Emperor's purge couple of decades back. I won't be surprised if I turn out to be some kind of a Ninth or Tenth cousin of yours!"

Darcy nodded furiously, her mouth full of egg and cucumber sandwich. She gulped it down, triggering a little coughing episode while Lelouch sighed and helped her drink some water. Finally she asked, "Lelouch, What's 'inbred'?"

"Ermm...Look at the Palace! Doesn't it look...different?"

There was little wonderful in the sight in Darcy's opinion. The blaze still burned; there were more helicopters than ever and as she watched, a single Knightmare frame fell from the roof. It was strangely unreal somehow...

"Just like a game, isn't it? Or a movie," Lelouch spoke in a subdued voice. "And to think, so many of the men and women there had families-fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters just as kind and innocent and pretty as Nunnally and you..." His voice grew distant and bitter. "And yet...I feel...nothing. Nothing at all. Why is that, Darcy?" he finished sadly.

"You look sad," said Darcy. It was true-while there had been little trace of it earlier, the sight of the ruined Viceregal palace just now appeared to have aged him by decades. "Do you know someone there?"

"Maybe..." Lelouch replied in a soft voice. "You may my glories and my state depose, But not my griefs; still am I king of those...Care for more sandwiches, Darcy? There's more than enough and your friend isn't here yet. Mine are in a bit of a pinch. I think my last request to them was a little too much to ask for, but I couldn't resist the temptation."

"Beatus Vir Qui Suffert Tentationem," quoted Darcy just like she'd heard old Mrs Streeter do so often. The old lady had been Catholic- a rarity in modern Britannia and she often read aloud to Darcy from the writings of some of the more well-known thinkers- in this case, Josemaria Escriva. "You're not that good, are you? But I think you're nice enough!"

"Pardon?" questioned Lelouch, confused by the apparent oxymoron.

Darcy laughed at the look on his face. She went on merrily, "Do you come to this place regularly? We can meet tomorrow or the day after!"

"No...This place is a bit risky for me; I only came here today as I had...something to do, you might say that it was a challenge."

"Can I help you too? I'm good at games; Janet always says so!"

Lelouch smirked but Darcy sensed that there was little joy behind his grin, "That's one big promise, Kid. On the whole...I think you're better off far away from me; I'm afraid that I...I hurt everybody close to me. Just yesterday, I...threatened someone very close to me, simply because she told me that I was ignoring my family. I will manage without your help!" He frowned at the image in his laptop- which Darcy noted, he was careful to keep hidden from her at all times.

There was a soft cough near them and a happy shriek. Janet burst into the little clearing in the copse and took Darcy in her arms, sobbing and apologizing in a choked voice. A young policeman with a bandaged head came in and shook Lelouch's hand. Darcy heard Thomas say gratefully, "I can't thank you enough for taking care of little Darcy, Mr Lamperouge! I know you're extremely busy with your project and she can be such a handful..."

Janet was almost inconsolable; and it was Darcy and Thomas who finally marched her away. As she bid goodbye to Lelouch, the boy asked her, "You live near the Fifth Peel Crossing, don't you? Near the City centre? I remember that most of the old school have manors there."

"Yes, I do! When I grow up, I will go to Ashford just like you!"

"If you don't mind, Can you tell your father to change homes...Tell him about the Stadtfeld manor or something. They live pretty far away from the Settlement and it's safer out there too."

"It's safe enough in the Settlement, Mr Lamperouge!" said Thomas sheepishly. As if on cue, a helicopter flew overhead and police streamed into the park. "I know it's difficult with Zero out there, but the TSPD and the two armies are doing their best. I'm confident that the Royal Family won't lose to an Eleven madman!"

"Elevens are the least of their troubles..." murmured Lelouch gravely.

"Pardon, Sir?"

"Oh well, Goodbye Darcy! I will handle things for you. By the time you're going to Ashford; I promise you it'll be a brand new world."

* * *

><p>"You, Karen, are a genius!" sighed Milly as she finished her tea. "Of all the things you could've questioned Lelouch over, you start on Nunnally. You were lucky he didn't kill you!"<p>

Karen baulked; and nearly choked on her cup. As usual, she hadn't told Milly the whole truth. The girl might've become one of her closest confidants, but there were some things one never told friends, especially Britannian friends. Lelouch threatening to shoot her was one of them.

Karen had two sleepless nights thinking about Lelouch's final words. 'Traitor' could mean anything; she couldn't simply pin any concrete beliefs down. There was a chance that Lelouch had discovered her second life- the most horrible, terrifying prospect of all. Lelouch was intelligent and resourceful, albeit lazy, and Rivalz often described him as omniscient. Karen strongly suspected that more than one noble house in Area 11 was being blackmailed by him. The gun would be a necessity if that was the case.

Then again, it might simply be the matter of a protective brother lamenting a friend's betrayal of his trust. It sounded contrived, even to Karen's ears- she was sure that Lelouch didn't care much for trust and companionship. Despite his popularity, he was a loner by heart and nowadays, by choice. Even Rivalz said so; and Suzaku-a traitor himself-was little better.

Or was 'Traitor' his way of contrasting her with his best friend? The heiress of a Britannian noble family who'd decided to embrace her Japanese roots and the son of the former Japanese Prime minister, now a Britannian Knight and Zero's main nemesis- What greater gulfs could there be?

"So who's the Lady downstairs?" Milly's voice broke into her reverie. "Judging by the way, Mrs Stadtfeld is gushing over her, she must be one big-shot."

"What about Lelouch?" Karen said frantically. "I can't go about hiding from him in class! And Nina said straight to my face that she didn't like the way I treated him and Nunnally...Who told her anything anyway?"

"Ahem...you see, both of you weren't exactly trying to keep things quiet. I'd say Nina had a front row seat in the next room and then, she called up Shirley because she is close to him."

"Dear me!" groaned Karen despondently.

"And you've lost quite a bit of popularity with Sayoko-san, I'm afraid. She returned just as you were talking about the burden bit-which was really insensitive, to say the least and then, she asked me what to do, because Lelouch was in a terrible state the entire day and she and Orange didn't want to antagonize him...Oh, I forgot to mention. The boys talked about it and they feel that you should stay home for a week at least; Suzaku says that Lelouch can be downright nasty when he wants to be. Do you know about the time Lelouch was banned from all the Blackjack tables of Tokyo in one day?"

"Who's Orange? I feel like I've heard the name."

"One of his military friends...But do stay away from Lelouch, he once almost gambled a noble into bankruptcy because he was drunk and was making a few rather...bad comments about his family. There was quite a bit of legal business and in the end, my grandfather had to get involved and sort things out." Milly narrowed her eyes and warned Karen coldly, "To tell you the truth, Karen, Lelouch...You haven't seen him at his worst. I haven't either and I sincerely hope I never do..."

The redhead nodded morosely and both fell silent. Karen didn't understand why but Milly seemed convinced that they had to treat Lelouch with kid gloves. Admittedly, she'd messed up with him. But...But...She closed her eyes. Things were really complicated; the Black Knights weren't doing anything big, Zero hadn't been taking calls and with the Sumida Brotherhood taking credit for the recent attack on Cornelia and the resulting military rule, recruits were unenthusiastic at best...and mutinous at the worst.

"You won't be going downstairs to greet your visitors?" asked Milly quietly.

"What's the use? The Madsens aren't exactly close to the family and I doubt Mrs Madsen likes it here. Heaven knows why her husband decided to come here; He must've paid a fortune to get that house at such short notice- two days is incredible, even for old East Coast families!"

Milly nibbled at a biscuit while Karen finished talking. She got up and started to gather her papers, "I'm off, Karen. Frankly, I'd hoped for a better meeting...but you do bring out the worst in Lelouch, don't you?"

"It's no entirely my fault!" replied Karen indignantly. "He over-reacted and...Milly, Can you answer a question for me? It's one Lelouch asked me at that time."

Milly stopped near the door. Looking back, she asked, "What is it? Your rule the world business? Karen, you shouldn't be so obsessed about him! I know I was stupid when I was trying to rile you and Shirley up, but I'm afraid things have gone too far! "

"You don't understand! It's been pricking...Actually, It's...kind of philosophical, even if it is weird and arrogant. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to call him arrogant; it just slipped..."

Milly shook her head. "You're just like Lelouch...None of you ever learn. I'm not upto deciphering his philosophical rants, Karen. It's something best left to, Suzaku maybe...Can't you ask someone you trust? Someone particularly intelligent? I mean, Lelouch is a difficult person to understand and you don't have many fans in the Student Council right now."

_Someone you trust..._

"Thanks, Milly," Karen whispered as her only school friend waved goodbye.

* * *

><p>Three soft chimes sounded in the night, and First Adjutant Corporal Alvarez opened his rheumy eyes and whispered yet another shift of personnel into the radio. Silently, soldiers rose out of the fog, dark shapes edged out of the trenches and were quickly replaced. Weapons rustled, Kevlar whistled in the twilight cold; in the distance, whirred the motors of four armoured cavalry divisions.<p>

Somewhere in the darkness beyond, on the other side of the rise, among the ravines and cliffs that rendered air power useless, the enemy hid. There had been no sign of them for three days, but Colonel Enrico Bivatt's soldiers knew that the savages were there; and battle was eminent.

And Bivatt had arrayed his Panzer Hummels to greet their unwanted guests. His had been the first company of the Grand Armee to take on the Britannian's in open battle in the current war. A thousand soldiers, over two hundred Knightmares had charged into Normandy from the sea on November the 11; Less than thirty managed to survive.

Alvarez wondered when the Second charge would come. Both armies were essentially running blind. Excessive usage of ECMs by both sides had effectively fried the more sensitive of the electronics in both the forces; and the Engineers were barely able to keep the Knightmares working. The veteran officer hadn't shaved in days. His razor had given up the ghost a few hours after they'd reached their positions on the coast- along with half the company's communications and their few radio and RADAR sets. Heaven only knew how the doctors were managing. Even stranger was the weather. He'd often heard men from the Irish and Angleterre republics complaining about the weather at home; but he'd never imagined it to be so bad.

The fog. It hung over them like a brooding, iron curtain as terrifying in its sheer magnitude as in its fearsome indifference. Rain lashed down each day with brutal punctuality and soul-crushing cold over Union trooper and Imperial soldier alike. The conditions were terrible in the Union camps- after a week of flash floods, the area was exactly like an Orwellian imagining of a Great War trench battle. And the Britannians were nearer to the coast than the Europeans. For the first few days the British were at the scene, barely an hour used to go by without the Union troopers seeing one of the former's mechs being swept away and dashed against the dangerous rocks, scarcely half a mile offshore.

Alvarez missed the first few desperate screams of the alarm, so engrossed he was in his contemplation of the Breton weather. Then, with an oath, he grabbed the controls and snarling a command at his just-stirring troops, rushed to the Southern outposts. The White Prince had finally struck, and in that muddy, slippery, dark battlefield beneath stormy, indifferent skies, the British were once more going to try and avenge the ghosts of the Seventh Alliance.

He felt, more than saw and heard, the clash between the Britannian advance guard and the Union cavalry- the groan of metal, the piercing flight of bullets and beneath it all, the whine of five hundred Yggdrasil drives- Five hundred metal hearts at war with each other.

Although it was difficult to distinguish in the mud and darkness, Alvarez realized that most of the Gloucesters had swept around the outlying pickets, taking advantage of the downed communications and sensors to crash into the camp itself. The few mechs there had put up a fight but a grotesque slaughter of Union troopers was the chief event right now.

As Alvarez watched in horror and wondered how his handful of men could face the dozens before him, a bright light came from the nearby ridge- bright as the sun and hot as hell and Three Hundred Panzer Hummels got their first kills of the day. Metal frames buckled and sprawled into the mud; Britannian melee units proving to be woefully ineffective compared to the artillery-specialized Hummels.

The Britannians started retreating, most throwing away their guns and lances to get away more quickly, and Bivatt's men rushed forward, drunk with victory. The Heavy cavalry rolled ahead; and the order went about for the Fulmine-Alato light cavalry to cut off the retreat from the sides. Bivatt himself had joined the hunt; while it was true that most of the English frames were nowhere to be seen, even a few dozen prisoners would have a devastating effect on Britannia's morale- especially after Battenberg's and Rommel's victories in the South.

To the main force's left, the only movement were the Leopard tanks, and just to their north, the Italian Crimson guard shock troops. The men were excited, Alvarez reckoned with happiness but something seemed too contrived...Still, throwing away their damned lances?

Then, directly before them, Sutherlands appeared. A narrow spear driving down the centre of the Union line with only Glasgows supporting them- the latter breaking off the moment they say the Fulmine-Alato mechs rush in from the sides.

Alvarez couldn't believe his eyes. Were the British mad? Britannian mechs were uniformly useless against the Panzer-Hummels in direct combat! The few victories they had managed in Europe were due to effective skirmishing with Glasgows! He knew that all around him, his comrades were shaking their heads, and preparing to fire their six guns into the mass. Whereupon the English mechs wheeled; the spear became a line and Alvarez found that every three or four Sutherlands carried a strange gun amidst them. Light flashed.

The Panzer-Hummels seemed to melt away; but it was not the Britannians who'd fired. With a dawning horror that paralyzed his limbs, Alvarez saw the Great Bivatt fall-his Knightmare torn apart by the exploding lances. Half of the Hummels were destroyed in the blink of an eye and now, they learnt why the English Gloucesters had been so eager to drop their rigged weapons. Then came the Electromagnetic cannon fire; and like crops in hail, the Union Heavy cavalry vanished into the mud.

The Europeans tried to rally. The Electromagnetic Cannons the Britannians were using were nothing more than glorified shotguns- brutally effective at close range, but useless at range and too slow to load and fire rapidly. Indeed, already the Sutherlands were moving back; Alvarez ordered the remaining Hummels forward. They dashed behind the retreating British and not a few Sutherlands fell in those hectic seconds.

Just then, rushed in the Glasgows. Taking advantage of the fog, they had snuck in close to the Union line; too close for the Hummels to fire safely- Heaven only knew what had happened to the Fulmine-Alato Knightmares. The Hummels switched over to their tofas and tried to fight back but the situation already seemed hopeless. Britannians were traditionally better at melee than the Union; and already the Sutherlands were returning to reinforce their Glasgow forces.

The charge broke down and the Europeans started retreating, hoping to lose their opponents in the fog.

And then morning came. Morning came and with it, the sun. And above them all, piercing through the fog was the World's first Floating Fortress. Its docks opened and...

"It doesn't work very well, does it?" said Earl Maldini as he surveyed the aftermath of the battle. "Though, I'm sure we could've managed to operate it at full power if you'd taken command of the Druid system yourself. It's a tragedy that His Highness wasn't able to help us...This reminds me, have you spoken with Lady Cornelia yet?"

His Superior and Friend stood at the windows of the Bridge; below him stretched the wreckage of over Five Hundred European Knightmare frames. "No, I haven't. She hadn't woken up when I checked three hours ago and Euphemia said she didn't want to me to be distracted. Are the men done yet?"

"They are," Kanon replied and then, he paused-clearly hesitating to say something.

"What's the matter, my friend? Any problems?"

"Yes...These men...If we'd waited only six months, we could've avoided all these deaths. We sacrificed two hundred Knights and more than half our Glasgows fell before we could intervene..."

"Kanon, Just trust me."

"Pardon?"

Schneizel was still staring out the great windows of the Avalon. Below him stretched the unending plains of Northern Plains and ahead of him, clouds and banks of English fog- as cold and indifferent to its people as they'd been nigh two centuries ago.

He hoped humanity never became as indifferent to its own existence.

* * *

><p>Zero. Zero. Zero. Wherever he went, they chanted the revolutionary's name. Even the Britannians had fallen for his talk of justice. The military officials hid it well, but the moment they were alone, they'd start talking about independence for Japan and appeasement. Was he the only one sane among the lot?<p>

Zero wasn't a mere terrorist or an ordinary revolutionary! He was an era in the flesh! Didn't anyone realize it? The world changed on Zero's wimps! The world was burning because of Zero's wimps. The previous night, he'd seen a dream; the globe revolving around the sun and the stars and the planets and the moons. He blinked and everywhere there was his mask! Zero! Zero! Zero!

The Black Knights were fools! Zero fooled them! What was his name-Ougi doubted him. Thought he was a spy. But Zero knew! He had known! He had always known! Zero looked at him once and saw his soul! And seen that his soul was a shrivelled pea just like all the others! So, Zero tore some space free inside him and lent him some of his! So kind! So cruel! Didn't anyone in the Black Knights see that they'd ceased to exist the moment Zero came into their lives?

He'd sent the Black Knights a dossier with details about Narita. The next day he'd received an unmarked envelope with a lot of mundane questions and queries- so unjust! Did Zero not know of his sacrifice? For a single dark moment, he had doubted Zero.

How despicable of him! Upon joining, He'd asked Ougi. It had been Zero who'd pressed for his inclusion...no one else but Zero! His efforts, his tears, sweat and pain had finally brought him into the shadow of his greatest project.

His fingers were wet with sweat and his mouth was parched and dry. Zero's office was nothing like he'd imagined and at the same time, it was. The mahogany furnish and the tasteful decor was expected; but Diethard noticed that the door locks had been recently replaced...and the security camera behind Zero's chair was actually a cleverly disguised machine gun. Truly a most interesting choice for such a "popular" terrorist leader...

"Admiring the furniture, Mr Ried?"

Diethard waved his arm at the camera and replied cheerfully, "Considering that you can kill me where I sit, I would be a fool not to admire your taste in suites. But, I believe that it wasn't the reason I've been called for a private meeting with Zero on the very first day of my induction into the Black Knights."

"I see." Zero said as he opened his drawer and drew a folder from its depths. As he flipped through it, he asked the reporter,"Why have you joined us, Mr Reid?"

Time for the stock answer. Diethard sighed and began, "I'm fed up with Colonialism and Britannia's..."

"How I hate it when people tell me lies..."

There had been no change in the terrorist's bearing or tone. Zero hadn't even looked up from his papers while admonishing him. Diethard gulped uneasily and began again. "You're...You're correct, Zero. It is...It is...revenge. My father was a private and they..."

This time, it was Zero who sighed as he signalled the Black Knight's newest recruit to be silent. He spoke coldly, "Mr Ried, I've been disappointed with you. Let's start over on a fresh page, shall we? Why did you join me? Come on, it's a simple question!"

Yes! Yes! Yes! Zero was bliss! He had pierced through the darkness Diethard had wrapped around himself to escape from the prying eyes of the Black Knights' so-called 'Nationalist' faction! That mask- so serene, so omniscient- even within the centre of a nation-wide manhunt, within the eye of an ideological conflict that threatened to tear his nascent organization apart! To think that an ordinary Britannian school student concealed such depths in his insipid life!

Zero's mask bored into him- asking, demanding, forcing him to answer.

Diethard felt a rush of wild joy in his chest and a burst of giddiness that almost caused his to faint. As he regained control of himself, he dimly heard his tongue shape phrases that he himself heard only dimly. "...wanted to film you...stood in front of me, a new era..."

There was silence when he ended his explanation; and then. Zero said in what the reporter assumed was an appreciative tone, "Very good, Diethard Ried. Finally, you speak the truth...But, then why did you lie to me at first?"

"I don't know how to say this, Zero but...The former head of the Yamato alliance..."

"Is on the JLF's payroll. Thank you, Diethard, but I knew this for ages." He pushed the folder he was looking through at Diethard. "This little stack of papers has reports about these so-called 'Nationalists' and how, the JLF have decided to punch above their weight by challenging me. You, Diethard, are the perfect candidate to be my witch-hunter in the Black Knights."

"Won't an Eleven be better for the task?"

"I know that very well, Diethard. And that's the exact reason I've selected you."

"But I may fail!"

"Imagine what might happen when you succeed."

Diethard felt understanding creep inch by agonizing inch into his mind; and then was that rush of fierce joy again. He almost stood up in excitement and said rapidly, "Who? Who are you going to use then? You're going to kill them, aren't you?"

"Yes, my dear friend!" chuckled the masked man quietly. "And you're going to help me do it. Or rather, help me force a particular person to do it. Do you have any complains?"

"Not at all! Anything for you, Zero! My life is at your service!"

"You lie yet again."

This time Diethard was actually scared. For the first time in years; the ace reporter, one of Britannia's finest journalists, the legendary war-correspondent who'd covered the Second Pacific War as a green nineteen year-old, the only Britannian not to rout from the battlefield of Itsukushima when the Japanese destroyed three whole armoured divisions, was terrified. Zero stood up- he wasn't tall or muscular; Diethard was sure that he didn't need to be. Something in his bearing wasn't human. And what little humanity Zero appeared to have possessed earlier, appeared to have been leached out through some terrible crisis.

What made a young school kid into Zero? What was he fighting for? Power? Revenge? There was little to connect Lelouch Lamperouge to Britannia's greatest enemy. Nor did the boy seem to be someone dedicated to violence for its own sake. Diethard had first believed Zero to be simply gunning for control...but his actions with the Black Knights disproved his earlier assumptions.

_What did Lelouch Lamperouge want? _

"Do you really believe that, Diethard? You will give your life for my service?"

"Yes, I have to chronicle your tale. I can't let you die before..."

"Your life is your own. You live your life because you lack anything better to do." Zero stated coldly and despite himself, Diethard found that he was inching backwards, away from Zero. "You were born from oblivion. You will die in oblivion. Man's existence is random; It has no pattern except what he makes of it. But you aren't a man, Diethard Ried. You are a dog. Like a dog, you run after men, much greater than your miserable self. Like a dog, you will run away during danger. Your existence is a matter of our indifference. The meaning of your life is what we choose to impose on it."

"I was a POW during the war! The only Britannian civilian to be a POW throughout the war!" Diethard protested. But the mask came closer, ever closer and it spoke yet again.

"You try to pretend that your act looked like heroism; a young reporter standing alone after the unit he was covering was decimated and ran from battle. But that wasn't the truth, was it? You stayed because you knew that the routing soldiers had nowhere to go! They would fall into the hands of Kusakabe's reinforcements...and your fame would be all the greater if you were the last man standing in Itsukushima. You came to Japan clutching Auchinleck's skirts; you stayed under Bartley's shadow; and now, you are here-to fall at my feet."

"But in the end, it doesn't matter, does it? Your miserable quest for excellence is merely a facade, a cover for the true horror. The true horror is that, in the end, your life is simply a picture of complete and meaningless darkness. What you lack is meaning, Diethard- the same like so many other humans...and worse, you are intelligent enough to know that; and yet, not so wise as to do something about it. You don't even know where to go; and so, in the end, you come to a faceless, terrorist leader whose crew of mutinous fools who won't last a single hour if the Emperor actually wished to end them! Such hubris! WHEN DID YOU LOSE YOURSELF, DIETHARD RIED!"

Diethard took a deep breath and replied to Zero coldly, "Then, why did you call me here...If you have nothing better to do than criticize me, why did you call me here!"

"To write the purple testament of my bleeding war, Diethard. Why else?"

Zero removed his helmet.

* * *

><p>"So...I'm free, is that what you're saying?"<p>

The young accountant nodded. "Yes, you are. There has been an investigation into the TSPD following the...attack and...You're free!"

'Miserable stinking foreigner doesn't even have a passport falling down saying they'll cut salaries commission not on used him as an example compared him CPMF will be time to time bloody Jenks time to time..."

"So...I can go anywhere I want? I suppose I should get a few privileges, shouldn't I? The Chinese Federation won't be pleased to learn how one of its citizens was unjustly..."

The accountant consulted his book and replied in an irritated tone, "They found you guilty of smuggling, mate. I'm surprised that they're even releasing you! Lord Darlton likes foreigners but even then...you are one lucky man!"

'_Lucky man?'_

Mao closed his eyes. All around him, in the very fabric of space, floated the thoughts of nigh a million human beings. Somewhere within them was the answer, somewhere within them.

'Lost lost lost with Cornelia down what will happen to this nation Prince Schneizel can't win the war on his own...' _As if he cared anything from Britannia and it's wars!_

'Tear down the TSPD bunch of traitors all of them kill them all know the police was helping those terrorists scum...' _Yes, Yes, down with the TSPD..._

'And then you take this my dear Frank my boy look at the nice Frisbee daddy has for you where's Stevenson Promised to get tomatoes for Anne Here Frank Here boy! Good boy...' _I like animals too. They don't think much. Maybe CC would like a puppy..._

'Dear me I can't believe that you bought a home near Tessarian Acres! No one lives there except the Stadtfelds and wretched hag she is and their heiress a half-breed of all things Do I look fat in this...' _Another stupid racist! These Britannians are crazy._

'Get Lucy from school Ouch What touched me...' _Oops..._

'Dah ijdeedna illi Kanoo ma Bayna zamaan..._' What was that?_

'Easy does it kiddo keep calm and quiet and...' _Sick bastards! What are the police doing?_

'retract point A from exhaust Ahh it is perfect...' _Should I buy a car?_

'Silivren prenna miriel A menel agalr elenath Le charade panandiriel...' _Think in a language I can understand, damn it!_

The accountant cleared his throat and rapped on the bars of Mao's cell. "So, aren't you going to do something? You do have a job offer already! And they're fixing a passport for you as we speak. Come on, I don't have all day!"

* * *

><p>"This...This boy is...is a terrorist?"<p>

Villetta Nu grinned as she saw the shock in the schoolgirl's face. It had taken ages to find this one weak link. And it was a golden-plated link- 24 carat Hessian Nobility! With this, her chances for nobility were now better than ever!

She answered the question. "I'm completely confident of it! It was difficult but I'm not the Chairman of the Purists for nothing! It took ages but you know that, don't you? After all, you were searching for this Alan Spacer alias of his too!"

"Yes..." Karen Stadtfeld answered hesitantly. "But I didn't know that he was a terrorist! He was only..."

"He is associated with Zero on some level, my dear Karen. May I call you Karen? It's paramount that he is apprehended as soon as possible; especially if he was behind the attack on the Palace."

Karen moved backwards, her face showing her scepticism as plain as daylight but she didn't contradict Villetta's words. She asked weakly, "Why me? I'm not close to him at all! Besides, you will be better off asking his close friends, won't you? Suzaku is in the army, for heaven's sake!"

"An Eleven?" sneered Villetta. "No wonder he's sympathetic to the Elevens! You're not one of Kururugi's fans, are you?"

"I...I'm not. But, isn't it racist..."

Villetta ignored her. She fished inside her bag for a card and gave it to the girl. "This has my contact details; I hope you do understand it's a matter of national security. Can you do it for me?"

Karen nodded blankly. When Villetta reached the gate, she turned back. Karen was still standing at the door; staring at the card she'd been given.

* * *

><p>"You may call me Stanislaus. My real name, of course, doesn't matter!"<p>

Sweat dribbled down Count Duvall's brow as he watched the young man start his little speech. It was obvious that Mr 'Stanislaus' was experienced at what he did. From the beginning to end, Duvall hadn't even imagined that his little world could be in so much danger; Until he'd walked into his office to find the corridors deserted and this young teen, with eyes like ice and a smile like a viper.

"And what does Gottwald want me to do, exactly? He knows that I can't pay! Lord Darlton will be all over me in a flash and my other channels..." mumbled the Minister of Internal Security, Area 11.

"Kyoto, I know. I know." Stanislaus took a sip of his tea and grimaced. "I prefer Ceylon...Never mind, Lord Gottwald isn't interested in your money, ill-gotten as it is. Especially as it has come from a traitor's pockets."

"Gold is gold!"

"A prison is a prison, Lord Duvall and sorry, one of my Knights took the precaution of removing your gun from its place. No use searching your drawer...Yes, I assure you she's very good at what she does."

Lord Duvall gripped the hand-rests of his chair. He couldn't believe his ears. He had heard of people like Stanislaus. Second sons of nobility, illegitimate brats, drug addicts who fuelled their anger at society and knowledge of the Nobility into a thriving blackmailing business- ready to serve the highest bidder...

"How much does Gottwald pay you!" screamed Duvall, almost standing up in his excitement. The boy smirked cruelly as he saw the Count's actions. He said slowly and maliciously, "Easy, My Dear Lord! You mistake me for one of your two-penny thugs, don't you? I assure you, you have no idea who you're talking with. What I want is pretty simple. Rest assured, you can do it."

Lord Duvall mastered his rage and sat down heavily. His eyes were bloodshot and he was gasping with stress and fear as he asked the teen, "Well then, what are your demands? I don't have all day, you miserable demon!"

"Ahh...the old names! Here, this folder has the list of all we want...Basically, I want you to make Jeremiah the Head of the TSPD."

"That's impossible!" spluttered Duvall. "The man is under suspicion! And he's of the military; the Senate..."

"The Senate will do as I say, Duvall!" stated Stanislaus coldly. "And don't tell me what you can do and cannot because you will do it, you miserable old fool! As for the next item...I want Kyoto."

Duvall's face turned white and he almost collapsed in pure fear. This was terrible, more terrible than anything he could've imagined. He gasped, "It's impossible! They'll...they'll kill me! Tell Gottwald to have mercy on me, Please! I have kids!"

"You will have a six-by-six cell if you're not careful, Duvall and that'll be much better than what I will give you in case of failure. Darlton is already close to you; I can help you get away...if you obey me. How about it, Lord Duvall? Isn't it an offer you cannot refuse?"

* * *

><p>"I've had enough! You must stop Schniezel from sending more frames to Area 11! He stole 50 more from the ones to be stationed at Novaya Zemlya!<p>

"Don't worry about them; we have 2 divisions there- they'll be enough."

"Enough? Enough? That brat of yours destroys everything sent there! He almost got Cornelia for Heaven's sakes! It'll never be enough! I should've never listened to you. Hey, If you don't want to kill him, catch him! Use his sister as bait- and then pack him off to Spain; between him and Schniezel, we'll have the EU at our feet. Even better, maybe they'll kill each other off and we'll be rid of our twin headaches!"

"But Lelouch is trying so hard to get my attention! He wants me to take notice so that he could strut about in front of me. On another note, that assassin of yours."

"What about Rolo?"

"He's behind schedule. Now, they're telling me that he will unable to operate for six months. What's going to happen with the war effort?"

"Manage without him. You know what happened at the Directorate, don't you? It'll take some time for things to settle! I sent you a replacement, didn't I? What happened to her?"

"That Alice girl? Went insane in 3 days, attacked one of our own squads and was shot dead. I wish you'd take greater care-that was the only decent experiment in 3 years."

"What can I do? CC usually gave out only one in a century. You and Bismarck are the only good geass candidates I've met in my life! The others simply lack the will!"

After VV left the platform for the Directorate, Charles leaned against a pillar and though about Lelouch.

Lelouch. When the boy was young, he'd reminded Charles of himself. Intelligent, resourceful, affectionate to his mother and sister. His relationship with Charles was the same as the Emperor's with his father-polite, respectful, and cold. And like Charles, he knew grief. The Emblem of Blood civil war had started when Charles and Vincent's mother had been assassinated.

There would be civil war in Britannia again during his reign.

He hadn't wanted to send the boy away; and it'd been with great reluctance that he'd geassed Nunnally-but it was for the greater good. The main reason for the delay in launching the Second Pacific war was convincing himself and Marianne that their deaths were necessary. Even so, Marianne hadn't spoken to him for two weeks after the declaration.

It had taken over three years to find them after the war since it was necessary to hide the search from both VV and Britannia itself. The sword of Akasha wasn't all powerful and could only show events if Charles clearly knew what he was looking for. The Thought elevator also depended upon the wills of the participants- that was the reason why only geass users could utilize it at its full potential. For a time, it'd seemed that Lelouch had mellowed. Another potential emperor-there were dozens of them in his family.

Lelouch's geass had come as a shock. Marianne had lost contact with CC-probably because of Clovis; He did have some experiment on geass, and the Emperor had easily found it but CC's powers had prevented him from observing it closely. Lelouch had taken it over shortly after Clovis' assassination. Since then, his sheer strength of will and CC's natural powers had kept the Emperor at bay. Lelouch's contract had shown them how little any of them knew about geass, especially ones possessed by strong contractors. And Lelouch probably had the strongest geass in history- strong enough to perfectly evolve the moment it took root.

VV couldn't believe it at first. None of them could believe it. Charles wondered what that meant for the Ragnarok Connection. Though his elder brother spoke of changing Lelouch's memories, both of them knew that it was impossible. Geass was a reflection of the contractor's will and Lelouch's would probably crush even Charles' if they faced each other.

Marianne had been sleeping when the contract had been made- the very experience had nearly driven her insane- she compared it later to being _'part of very fast nightmare which I can't remember now'._ This hadn't happened with the Chinese, but then he had been a useless fool...

Marianne had angered CC for some reason and the immortal had cut off all contact until recently. Maybe, he should've tried helping her with Clovis-CC was too important to antagonize. She'd been allowing Marianne through in recent days, but now, most of her mind was closed...Of course it wasn't as if Marianne was of any help! The only thing he'd heard about Lelouch was how he was so intelligent, how he loved Nunnally, how he was popular with girls, the girl he went to a date with, that ace of his...

He suspected that CC had betrayed them, same as Jeremiah Gottwald. Lelouch had the ability to win the most unlikely people over. And then, there were the battles.

Fast, brutal and effective-the three battles of Shinjuku, Saitama and Narita had almost decimated the Britannian forces in Area 11. Lelouch's trick of acquiring enemy Knightmares was exactly like the one Charles had used to acquire IFF-equipped tanks in the civil war 30 years ago. The fact that Lelouch built his army from scratch while Charles already had one in his youth made his feats more impressive. In another life, Lelouch would've made a great Emperor.

But he had a dream too, hadn't he?

* * *

><p><strong>The story has really slowed down in pace; I wished to speed it up this chapter but it would've ruined the setting and I want to be careful.<strong>

**Yes, Lelouch tells Diethard who he is. The man's without allies at this point and he'll jump at 'Exiled Prince conquers World' story- admittedly, it's much better than 'Charismatic madman conquers world'. Then again, that's just my opinion...**

**I've made a few changes in Diethard's backstory; I don't think he was properly fleshed out in canon, so that balances out. **

**If you tell me that seven year olds can't quote Latin, why I would like to introduce you to my cousin. She's actually pretty scary when it comes to stuff like that. Kids get too much free time these days-It's criminal.**

**Can anyone explain to me how exactly Villetta was planning to find Lelouch in canon? Go around asking for what...teen with black hair and black school uniform? There must be thousands of Britannian teens in Tokyo; and seriously, what sane army officer would search for a terrorist without backup? She did want nobility, but if you go around doing things like that...You don't deserve your rank. You're not being ambitious; You're being reckless. Then again, the Britannian army is led by idiots...**


End file.
